Travelling with Confidence in 2024: Airport Security, Passports and the Road to EES and ETIAS

Few things shape a holiday more than the feeling of being prepared. Reliable, timely information before departure is one of the most effective ways to help travellers set off with confidence, and ABTA has returned to that point repeatedly this year. To support it, the travel association has published a new online advice page on preparing for airport security, gathering the practical detail holidaymakers need into one clear place.

The page arrived at a moment of genuine uncertainty, with several issues making headlines at once. Together they explain why calm, accurate guidance matters more than ever in 2024.

Photo by Jonathan Schmer on Pexels

Airport security and the hand-luggage question

Much of the recent confusion follows news that the UK government has given some airports more time to install new security scanners. The technology changes the rules for hand baggage and the checks travellers go through, but because not every airport will have it in place at the same time, there is no single, consistent approach across UK airports this year. Rules can differ from one terminal to the next, and even between a passenger's outbound and return journeys.

ABTA's advice cuts through the noise: travellers "can't go wrong if they follow the existing rules". In practice that means keeping liquids within the familiar limits and being ready to remove items as instructed. The association also urges holidaymakers to check the specific requirements at both their departure and return airports before they travel, rather than assuming the experience will be the same in each direction.

Passports and the rules for EU travel

A second topic dominating the headlines is passport validity for trips to the European Union. Since the UK left the EU, the requirements for British passport holders have changed, and the detail still catches people out. ABTA has been working to explain the new rules clearly, pointing travellers to its straightforward passports-and-visas web page and providing shareable assets that members can use to brief their own customers.

The message is simple but important: check your passport well before booking and again before you travel, because a document that was perfectly valid for the EU a few years ago may no longer meet the post-Brexit rules.

What is coming next: EES and ETIAS

Looking further ahead, two more post-Brexit changes will shape how British travellers enter Europe. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) is expected in Autumn 2024, replacing manual passport stamps with digital records and biometrics at the border. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is then due in mid-2025, requiring visa-exempt visitors to obtain an online authorisation before they travel. ABTA is developing information for members and consumers, and has met EU officials in Brussels to stay close to the latest thinking. For those who want to get ahead, the ETIAS and EES overview explains how the two systems will work.

None of this changes the value travellers place on a trusted source. Asked what they associate with ABTA, more than 80% of consumers reach for words such as "reassurance", "reliable" and "expertise" — a reminder that, in a year of shifting rules, clear advice is exactly what helps people travel with confidence.

Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels