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Easyjet Britain’s biggest budget airline is making it hard for its last minute summer passengers. The airline is bringing in new rules where passengers will have to pass through the security barrier 30 minutes before takeoff. Passengers will not be allowed to sprint to the gate and if they miss their flight they could end up paying £80 to switch to another flight.

The security barriers at Gatwick have been reprogrammed where travellers have to get their boarding passes scanned within half an hour before departure and those who cannot make it in the stipulated time will have to wait for the next flight.

Easyjet has been facing a lot of criticism on its security issues and with Europe reeling under constant terror threats, these measures will hopefully make situations better for punctual travellers. Earlier passengers who were late and had no check in baggage were free to go through the security check and hurry to the departure gate in the hope of catching a flight. The Airline parlance for such a traveller is a HAG, short for Have A Go. But now these facilities have been abandoned by the airline, or so they claim. Now passengers are being warned in fine print on their boarding passes that “Gatwick security control gates are automatically being timed to close 30 minutes before departure.” And those who despite these warning fail to make it will have to get back to the easyjet desk and rearrange their travel plans. The new policy is contrary to their old practice where passengers were allowed to squeeze in 30 minutes before departure.

For those who miss flights they can avail coverage of £7.50 in advance. There is an option for a full refund or travel on the next available flight for passengers who are late to the airport. For those who cannot avail this option there is  still something more to salvage them, a rescue fee of £80 to switch to another flight.

Though there is some contradiction on the check in time as some boarding passes read that check in must happen with at least half an hour to spare yet also sending a conflicting warning that the gate closes 30 minutes before departure. So a passenger who is just in time to get through the barriers will be turned away. The airline has yet to explain this contradiction.

Easyjet flights fly from the Gatwick airport. The airport expects around 15 million passengers to pass through Sussex airport this year.