How is it like knowing the exact time when you can do the security check at the airport? Everyone likes saving the wait and check-in time at the airport, whether it’s through contactless entry, web check-in, automated baggage drops and dedicated immigration lanes. But now, passengers can save a significant amount of time with security checks at the airport.
Taking far-sighted steps to improve passenger experience at the airport, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is using an innovative method to streamline passenger security check-in. The airport management which introduced a ‘pre-book time slot’ facility for security checks at the airport a couple of months has now introduced the facility to all passengers.
After a successful launch at the start of the year, time slots can now be reserved for both Schengen and non-Schengen destinations. The facility is free of cost and time slots can be booked online on the Schiphol Airport‘s website or mobile App as of three days prior to departure.
How does the service work?
Reserving a time slot means that travellers can go through the security check at a time of their choice. That way, they know exactly what time they are expected at the security check. The latest time slot a traveller can reserve for non-Schengen destinations is 90 minutes before departure. The latest time slot for Schengen destinations is 60 minutes before departure.
After making a reservation, travellers receive a confirmation email containing a QR code. This QR code is scanned at the airport by a member of Schiphol staff, who then direct travellers to the correct security check entry point.
This service only applies to the security check. Travellers should leave enough time for the check-in process and to drop off any baggage they may have.
The Schiphol airport is expecting to welcome an average of 68,000 passenger departures every day during the summer holidays. On peak days, the number of departing passengers increases and goes to 77,000 each day.
The number of passengers departing from Schiphol is 26 per cent higher than in the 2022 summer holiday (daily average of 54,000 travellers) and just below the numbers seen in pre-covid year 2019, when an average of 73,000 travellers departed from Schiphol each day. This summer, the most popular destinations are London, Istanbul and Barcelona.
The facility is aimed at reducing wait time and enhancing the passenger experience by nearly doubling the processing space at security check area. The project also added eight new security lanes which included a brand new domestic to domestic (D2D) transfer facility. CSMIA now has a total of 5,735 square meters of dedicated space for security screening, and 328 square meters of newly created domestic transfer security check area.
