FINALLY. Goodbye queues to board, with British you book your turn via app

British Airways will test new technology to streamline boarding procedures developed by Qmatic. This system will allow customers to avoid the check-in queue by booking their boarding time in advance.

The technology, which is optional for customers, will be tested by British Airways for three months on selected flights departing from the Heathrow Terminal 5. Clients will receive an email prior to travel inviting them to book a personal check-in time.

The Qmatic system will alert the passenger that it is their turn, allowing them to simply go to the dedicated counter, where the customer service team will be there to assist them. Those who have not booked a boarding slot through Qmatic, however, can proceed as normal or have the option of joining a virtual queue when they arrive at the airport by scanning a QR code.

British Airways will be the first airline to try Qmatic, which is currently widely used in public sector, retail, healthcare, and financial organizations around the world, including BP gas stations, the Tate Modern, and the post office in the UK, to help manage customer flow.

Goodbye, then, to long waits in line to board. This is an innovation that is a child of the pandemic and is sure to improve the most stressful part of travel, especially for passengers who do not have priority boarding guaranteed by status or because it is bought separately.

Declan Pollard, Head of Heathrow Customer Experience at British Airways, said, "We believe that this technology, along with digital travel apps, will help to efficiently manage the flow of customers at the airport at all times and give reassurance to our customers."

British Airways is also experimenting with other digital travel apps. The airline's customers can currently use VeriFLY on all flights to the United States, Canada and France, as well as on all inbound flights. The airline has also contributed to the development of the IATA travel passes. BA customers traveling to Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal can now also upload their negative Covid-19 test result and other documentation directly to ba.com for verification before travel.