UK’s biggest airport now lets passengers ‘pre-book’ security slots – making it much faster to travel
HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to Heathrow Airport will be able to whizz through security thanks to a new service.
The London Airport has announced a trial that lets passengers pre-book security slots ahead of arriving.
The first to trial this in the UK, Heathrow Timeslot will give travellers a designated time and entry point to go through airport security.
It hopes to reduce the time it takes to get through, reducing queues.
The service will be free and can be also used for group bookings up to five people.
It will take place at Terminal 3 for the next six months, and can be booked up to three days before your departure.
Passengers travelling with Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, Emirates and Delta will be able to take part in the scheme.
If successful, it could also be rolled out to other airlines and terminals.
Mark Powell, Operational Planning Director at Heathrow: “Everyone is familiar with airport security, but at Heathrow we’re constantly thinking of innovative ways to boost the safety and streamline the experience for our passengers.
“This new trial will give passengers that extra added bit of certainty and reassurance ahead of their journey and we think it will be particularly popular for those with families or nervous travellers who may want a bit more confidence in their journeys.
“We look forward to seeing the data come in to give us some learnings on how we can roll this out more widely across Heathrow.”
Passengers will only be able to book a timeslot 90 minutes before long-haul flights and 60 minutes before short-haul flights.
Earlier this year, Heathrow also trialled reducing the age of passengers using eGates.
Kids as young as 10 were able to use the eGates at Terminal 5, with previous rules only allowing kids aged 12 and over.
And passengers will soon be allowed to take two litres worth of liquids in their hand luggage following new rules next year.