British Airways has announced that it will be trialling a new intelligent queuing technology provided by Qmatic, enabling passengers to virtually queue at check-in by pre-booking their slot time in advance before arriving at the airport.
How to use this service?
British Airways will send an email to passengers before inviting them to book their personal check in time. Once it is time for a passenger to check-in, the Qmatic system will notify them that it is their turn. This will allow them to go directly to the dedicated desk and the airline’s customer service team will be able to assist. Note that passengers who have not booked the Qmatic service can do so when they arrive at the airport by scanning a QR code or else they can proceed as normal.
Who can take part?
The technology, which is optional, will be trialled by the Britain’s flag carrier for 3 months on selected flights departing from London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. The carrier will personally invite the eligible customers via an email.
The airline will be the 1st in the world to trial Qmatic, which is currently used extensively in public sector, retail, healthcare and financial organisations around the world, including BP Service Stations, the Tate Modern and the Post Office in the UK, to help manage the flow of customers.
Declan Pollard, Head of Heathrow Customer Experience, British Airways, said:
In this new Covid-19 era we know that customers have been travelling less frequently than they normally would, and in most cases not at all. We understand many people will feel unfamiliar with the airport journey, so we are committed to exploring how technology can simplify that experience for them. This technology means that our customers can plan their departure knowing that they have a personalised check-in time. We think this technology, coupled with digital travel apps, will help efficiently manage the flow of customers in the airport at any one time and give our customers reassurance.
Mark Brackley, Managing Director of Jade Solutions, the exclusive supplier of Qmatic in the UK, added:
The intelligent queuing solution will provide British Airways’ customers with the ability to add themselves to a virtual queue and see their position change in real-time, all from their phone. We are excited to be working with British Airways to trial this technology.
Just another trial by British Airways
In addition to this, British Airways is also trialling digital travel apps to ensure customers meet the entry requirements for their destination before arriving at the airport. Passengers flying on British Airways to the United States, Canada or France can currently use VeriFLY as well as on inbound flights and the airline has been assisting in the development of IATA’s travel pass.
The airline’s passengers who are travelling Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, can now also upload their negative COVID-19 test result and other documentation directly into ba.com for verification before travel.
The airline states that it will continue to explore how it integrates other technologies, such as VeriFLY, into its systems to further streamline the customer experience.
Meanwhile, British Airways has revealed 4 new short-haul routes for the summer season and a new route connecting Guernsey with Edinburgh. The airline recently operated a cargo flight to India carrying Urgent Medical Aid.
Featured image by British Airways
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