CPH EES Exit question

If you are unable to stand for more than 15 minutes, I would request wheelchair assistance from your airline. There is just no way to predict how long the passport control line will be.

I have been hearing reports of no wait to upwards of hours.

I had less than a 5-minute wait at Madrid in March. I will be flying into Copenhagen on Sunday. I am hoping for the best but prepared for the worst. Unfortunately, the timing is out of our control.

Good luck!!

Carrie, I'll be anxious to hear how it goes for you. I've got a connection through Copenhagen in late August. My fingerprints wouldn't scan when I tried in Rome in March, despite multiple attempts so I'm worried I'll get held up in the process.

Lisa, I agree that asking for a wheelchair for this circumstance is probably a good idea. I hope it goes well!

You could prearrange wheelchair assistance in advance, which indeed means you are as prepared as you want to be; or you could walk to EES with a note in your pocket hoping to find someone who may or may not be able to do anything about your inability to stand in a lengthy line. The fact that you can walk 1/2 mile on flat surfaces is irrelevant to the fact that you need assistance regarding your inability to stand in long lines.

Your situation is so common. The people you see at airports getting assistance via wheelchair aren't necessarily people who need a wheelchair at all times. Lengthy terminals, standing in slow moving long lines cause problems for a lot of people, so hopefully you will allow yourself to get the assistance you need.

Safe travels!

CPH is quite an efficient airport & you're likely to get through quicker than larger airports. That being said, a wheelchair is an excellent idea!

As for EES, it wasn't operational when I entered Schengen April 2nd, the immigration officer told me they'd had some problems with it, so they had shut it down, there were just the normal 'EU citizens' & 'Other' Q's. There is always an immigration check at your last departure point from Schengen.

How do they keep people that are leaving for the USA separate?

They have immigration before you can get to the separate departure gates for flights that are exiting the Schengen area, rather than specifically to the US. That being said, keep that wheelchair because it's usually a longer walk to the flights going to the US on SAS, as I recall. There shouldn't be a security check but you've definitely shown your passport exiting where ever you left the last Schengen country.

Carrie, I'll be anxious to hear how it goes for you.

I'll try to remember to add a note here. Feel free to send me a PM next week if i forget.

Carrie, I'll be anxious to hear how it goes for you. I've got a
connection through Copenhagen in late August. My fingerprints wouldn't
scan when I tried in Rome in March, despite multiple attempts so I'm
worried I'll get held up in the process.

This could have happened for a number of reasons, but one common reason is that if hands/fingers are dry or freshly washed, the scanners have a hard time picking up prints. Applying a little lotion to your hands at some point between getting off the plane and scanning fingers can be helpful for this.

Applying a little lotion to your hands at some point between getting off the plane and scanning fingers can be helpful for this.

I always keep well hydrated on flights and I used hand lotion about 1/2 an hour before landing. Unfortunately, I've had issues with my pinky finger for years when being fingerprinted (I work in a finger print necessary field). It wasn't super busy when I landed so they kept telling me to try again. I probably tried about 15 times. It was quite frustrating to say the least. Still, next time I'll hydrate and lotion up closer to the kiosks and maybe it will work.

Thank you all for your replies. I am glad you understand that walking and standing are two different things completely. Walking allows for blood flow to the joints where as standing or very slow walking does not (even when I rub my hips and knees). I am not sure if I contact SAS (the flight I arrive on to CPH) or Delta (the airline I am flying on back to the USA). I know they both are code share partners but I've had to log into code share partner sites to make sure I reserve seats, the correct meals, etc.

It's strange but I do not remember having to go through a major passport line when changing planes in the past. I had to show my passport when boarding my flight. I do remember having to do this in Dublin and we USA people were sent to a completely different part of the airport with far fewer services. That line (pre EES) was horrendously long and fortunately, I was able to show someone a doctor's note and they let me come to the front. Of course, I got dirty looks. As I recall some people missed their flights as they were not prepared for that in Dublin.

In two weeks I will be on a trip that takes be into the Schengen area in Copenhagen (from Phoenix/Atlanta - and on to Gdansk). Coming home will be from Helsinki to Copenhagen, to JFK to Phoenix.
THANKS to this thread, I explored using AI Gemini asking questions regarding this itinerary and where do I enter Schengen area, the process at the airports, and what to expect. It was very helpful. It even offered to tell me about shopping and restaurants near certain areas of the airports!

Please contact SAS, they're going to take great care of you with a wheelchair when you arrive in CPH & get you to your US-departure gate! You could do this when you check in at Stavanger, it gives them a few hours to get it sorted out.

Thank you all for your help. I will contact SAS. About using AI...I use it often as I teach technology in high school :-). But, was not sure if it would be reliable regarding airport specifics. But, I will give it a try! On a related note, I really wish I could have arranged a 2 night layover in Copenhagen but Delta or SAS would not allow that, even when I tried to do it with a human representative. As it is, my initial flight from CPH to JFK was re-scheduled from a later SAS flight to an earlier Delta flight. Fortunately, I will have a 2 hour layover but not thrilled about getting into JFK so early as my ride does not arrive until 6:30pm. Would have enjoyed spending more time in Copenhagen.

I just wrote about my experience under a new EES post under the Sweden forum.

i wrote about my departure experience here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/ees-at-copenhagen-airport