Airlines angered by European airport chaos

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European airlines are among those to have issued a letter to European Union Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen, warning that the rollout of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is causing major operational disruption and threatening the smooth functioning of summer air travel.

While the aviation sector continues to support the objectives of the biometric border control system, industry leaders say its implementation is creating severe bottlenecks at external Schengen borders, resulting in excessive waiting times, flight disruptions and growing pressure on airports, airlines and border authorities.

According to the open letter, passengers are already experiencing waits of up to five hours at border control since the full implementation of the EES in April, news portal Travel Mole reports.

The delays are affecting millions of travellers, inconveniencing families, elderly passengers and those with reduced mobility, while airlines are reporting missed connections, delayed departures and mounting operational challenges for frontline staff.

The industry argues that these problems persist despite member states making use of temporary measures allowing border authorities to postpone biometric data collection until early September. 

Although intended to ease the transition, the flexibility has failed to eliminate long queues or prevent operational disruption.

With July and August expected to bring around 40 million more passengers through European airports than the previous two months, aviation organisations warn that the situation is likely to deteriorate rapidly unless additional action is taken.

The concerns extend beyond Europe’s largest hubs. Airports serving popular leisure destinations are also struggling to process arriving passengers efficiently, with travellers reportedly queuing outside terminal buildings while airlines face departures with passengers still waiting at immigration checkpoints.

Industry leaders also caution that prolonged border delays could damage Europe’s reputation as an attractive travel destination. 

They argue that reports of lengthy immigration queues are already discouraging some international visitors, potentially affecting tourism, air connectivity and the wider European economy.

The letter also challenges recent comments from the European Commission suggesting that long waiting times are primarily the result of airline scheduling and concentrated flight arrivals. 

Aviation stakeholders reject that explanation, noting that airline schedules are planned well in advance and that passenger demand patterns have long been predictable. They argue the EES rollout should have been designed to accommodate known traffic peaks rather than disrupt airport operations.

Amsterdam tells tourists: Pay up, or on your bike

Amsterdam is a small city with narrow thoroughfares and limited resources. 

Now the Dutch city is cracking down further on overtourism. 

Amsterdam authorities are planning to introduce new tourism measures which will make the city one of the toughest in Europe in managing tourism amid a growing hostility towards tourists, news hub Travel Mole reports.

 

Among the changes is a gradual increase in its tourist tax to 20% by the end of the decade, as city leaders seek to curb overtourism and improve the quality of life for residents.

The Dutch citg already charges one of the highest visitor taxes in Europe. Overnight visitors currently pay a tourist tax equivalent to 12% of their accommodation cost, while day visitors arriving by cruise ship pay a separate fee fixed at €15 per day.

Under proposals unveiled by the city’s new coalition government, the overnight tourist tax would rise to 16% next year before increasing by one percentage point annually until it reaches 20% in 2030.

City officials say the higher levy is designed to ensure visitors contribute more fairly to the costs associated with maintaining one of Europe’s most-visited destinations.

Amsterdam welcomed 9.5 millions guests last year. That makes tourism one of the city’s most important economic drivers but local authorities say the growing number of visitors has also placed mounting pressure on public spaces, municipal services, neighborhoods, and infrastructure.

According to the coalition agreement, tourism remains vital to the city’s economy, but the associated costs of managing large visitor numbers have become increasingly significant.

The proposed tax increase forms part of a much broader tourism management strategy designed to create what city leaders describe as a more balanced visitor economy.

Another proposal would see increases to Amsterdam’s entertainment levy, which currently applies to activities such as canal boat tours, canoe rentals, and other recreational services operating on the city’s famous waterways.

Tasmanian tourism project goes up in smoke

Things can move glacially in Tasmania - and sometimes they just don’t move at all.

Take a multi-millon dollar tourism project designed to boost visitation to the Huon Valley in the far south of the state following major bushfires in February 2019.

Seven years after those fires, with not one brick laid, proponent DarkLab announced that it will cease further work on the Transformer project at Ida Bay with activities to be wound up by the end of July.

Despite receiving approvals from Huon Valley Council and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife in 2023 and 2024, an increase in projected costs, particularly in relation to visitor service structures, has rendered the project untenable.

DarkLab CEO and creative director Leigh Carmichael said: “It is with a heavy heart that we make this announcement today. We have given the project every opportunity to succeed, but after seven years’ work we have made the decision not to proceed.

“We would like to thank the far south community for their support, and we are disappointed that we have been unable to finish what we began. It’s difficult to walk away from the unrealised potential.

“We would like to thank the Huon Valley Council, the State Government, and the Federal Government who have worked patiently with us throughout this process, along with the artist and many people who have worked on the project since its inception.

“Unfortunately, the environmental and economic landscape is very different from when we were first asked to look at this project back in 2019. The long approval process, Covid and rising construction costs have all worked against us this time.

“While we still believe a catalyst project is urgently needed to spark further tourism visitation and investment in the Huon Valley, the timing for this project is no longer right.

“We will now focus on working with the Office for the Arts to acquit the Federal Government grant and ensure the funds are returned in full. 

"DarkLab, with [Mona owner] David Walsh, will cover the costs incurred in attempting to realise the project.”

Transformer was to be a site-specific commission by American artist Doug Aitken, a pavilion with a reflective interior, creating a lens consisting of angles and facets, a kaleidoscope that interacted with the landscape over the changing seasons.
 

Virgin Australia offers flyers more flexibility

Don't you hate it when you arrive at their airport early and your carrier has two earlier flights to your destination. 

You either pay up to catch an earlier flight, or sit around for an hour or two until your scheduled flight departs. 

No more waiting if you are booked on an eligible fare with Australian carrier Virgin Australia. 

Virgin is the only Australian airline to offer eligible guests travelling on a domestic economy flex fare the ability to access Fly Ahead, enabling them to switch to an available earlier same-day flight through the Virgin Australia app, with no change fee or fare difference.

The new app feature offers a significant shift from traditional flexible fares, which typically require travellers to pay a change fee and fare difference when changing flights. 

Virgin Australia Fly Ahead can offer savings for frequent travellers, particularly those flying for business.

The value of that added flexibility is already clear, with data showing more than 44,000 Virgin Australia guests moved to earlier flights over the past 12 months, saving a combined 143,000 hours in airport dwell time. 

Expanding the Fly Ahead app feature, launched for high-tier Velocity Frequent Flyer members in May 2026, to domestic economy flex fare guests means more travellers can get on their way sooner. 

Virgin Australia group executive Libby Minogue says the expansion of Fly Ahead reflects the airline's commitment to listening to guests and delivering meaningful flexibility.

"At Virgin Australia, we listen closely to our guests, and one thing we hear consistently, particularly from our business travellers, is that they want more flexibility and control when plans change," Minogue says. 

"That's why we're proud to be the only Australian airline offering superior flexibility to our flex ticket holders, allowing them to switch to an available earlier same-day flight via the Virgin Australia app, without incurring a change fee or fare difference. 

"The change will help our guests get home sooner, make an earlier meeting or maximise their time."

For more info visit here.

Popular culinary festival returns to the Great Southern

One of Western Australia's most remote culinary festivals will return next year. 

Taste Great Southern will return to the Great Southern region from Thursday, March 4, to Sunday, March 7. 

 
Following a successful 2026 festival, Taste Great Southern will once again invite guests to explore the region's acclaimed wines, premium produce, extraordinary landscapes and vibrant hospitality scene through a curated program of events spanning Albany, Denmark, Mount Barker, Porongurup, Frankland River and surrounding communities.

Festival director Erin Molloy said the festival continues to strengthen the Great Southern's reputation as one of Australia's most compelling regional food and wine destinations.

"Taste Great Southern has become one of Western Australia's most distinctive regional food and wine festivals because it offers something truly authentic," she said.

"It brings together world-class chefs, winemakers, producers and storytellers in a way that could only happen in the Great Southern.

" We're excited to build on the momentum in 2027 and continue showcasing the incredible people, produce and places that make this region so special."

State Minister for Tourism and the Great Southern, Reece Whitby, said the Great Southern is one of Western Australia's most remarkable tourism destinations, and Taste Great Southern brings it to life through world-class food and wine experiences.

“Taste Great Southern's 2027 program builds on the festival's ongoing success, offering fresh experiences that celebrate the region's exceptional produce, passionate people and breathtaking landscapes," Whitby said. 

"Events like this play a vital role in driving visitation to WA's regional destinations, strengthening the Western Australian economy, supporting local jobs and businesses, and highlighting the State's visitor appeal.”

The full Taste Great Southern 2027 program and tickets will be released later this year.

See tastegreatsouthern.com.au 

Image: Ann and Tom

Meet a new name on the Yarra Valley wine scene: e'Stellar

There is a new name in the Yarra Valley wine firmament.  

e’Stellar is owned by members of one of Australia’s highest-profile wine families but will operate independently. 

Joe and Cathy Casella, of the Australian winemaking empire Casella Family Brands, began their Yarra journey in 2017 when they purchased Graeme Miller’s historic Dixons Creek site. 

In 2025, they added the neighboring Mandala vineyards, unifying the two properties into a single 40-hectare project named e’Stellar Estate. 

It is a stand alone personal project for the couple, managed completely separately from the corporate Casella Family Brands portfolio. 

The project builds on the legacy of the Henkell family, who first planted the celebrated Mandala site in 1980, and the neighbouring Dixons Creek Estate established by Jimmy Watson Trophy winner Graeme Miller. 

Steering the project is winemaker and GM Martin Siebert, whose background includes vintage work in Burgundy and two decades at top-tier Yarra Valley producers Yarra Yering, Coldstream Hills, and Tokar Estate. 

Siebert found a 15-year-old museum sparkling base, resting on lees, in storage, from the original Graeme Miller days, which has been disgorged and released as the limited e’Stellar Legacy Sparkling ($60). 

While reviewing old records, Siebert unearthed invoices indicating half of that parcel of sparkling wine was quietly resting on lees at the contract facility. Upon requesting a sample bottle to be disgorged for evaluation, Siebert and the team realized they were sitting on a vinous treasure,

There are 11 wines included in the first release, divided across two core tiers ($32 and $45): the e’ Range ($32): chardonnay, pinot noir, rosé, and cabernet syrah and e’Stellar Range ($45): chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, blanc de blancs, and sparkling rosé NV. 

A new cellar door by Q+Co Design Studio is currently under construction for a launch in the coming months, the estate's commercial footprint is already anchored by the property's existing dining establishment: DiVino Ristorante.

Operating under the new e’Stellar banner, the Italian pavilion has called this site home for seven years and welcomes guests from Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and Friday and Saturday evenings for dinner.

The debut 2025 e’Stellar Estate wines are now available online, before the cellar door experiences open to the public in the coming months.

More info at https://www.estellarestate.com.au/.