US-bound passengers stuck at London and European airports after ESTA visa system goes down
‘As if the bleakest of days to travel to the US couldn’t get any bleaker’, said a traveller at Heathrow
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Passengers scheduled to fly to the US on an ESTA visa reported a system failure that prevented boarding earlier this morning.
Travellers departing Frankfurt, Lisbon, London, Poland and Brussels shared check-in struggles on X/Twitter, all claiming the “ESTA system is down” between 7.30am and 9.30am.
“Trying to travel to New York from Brussels, but the ESTA system is down and cannot check in. Waiting here for an hour. Hope this is not election-related,” wrote one social media user.
An ESTA, Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is an automated system that determines if a visitor is eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. Travellers from participating countries can apply in advance for a $21 (£16.30) ESTA to travel to the US as a tourist for up to 90 days without a visa.
Earlier this morning, a message on the ESTA homepage read: “Performing routine maintenance.
“Electronic System for Travel Authorization is currently down. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”
On one of the most significant days in recent US history, travellers took to social media to share their struggles departing for the US as polls revealed Donald Trump had won a second term in the White House.
An X/Twitter user claimed flights headed for the US were leaving “without those of us who had ESTA visas on board” and several passengers reported being stranded at London Heathrow.
One said: “As if the bleakest of days to travel to the US couldn’t get any bleaker - ESTA system is down and we’re all stuck at Heathrow looking at each other in confusion.”
Another added: “ESTA Visa passengers currently not being allowed to board flights to the US at Heathrow.”
Departing air passengers have since reported that problems with the ESTA system at check-in have been resolved.
The Independent has contacted US Customs and Border Protection for comment.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments