Manchester Trials Pre-booked Security Slots

A new system which will allow passengers to pre-book a security slot is being trialled for the first time at Manchester Airport.

The scheme – which the operator says is designed to improve the passenger experience and help boost confidence in travel – is part of a series of measures being introduced by Manchester Airport Group (MAG) that are intended to ensure passengers feel safer and more confident travelling by air, post-COVID-19.

MAG
Manchester Airport is the first in the UK to implement such a scheme. MAG

The 15-minute slot can be booked for free via the facility’s website. By reserving, MAG says passengers will benefit from a dedicated lane straight to the security checkpoint and will be able to reduce their overall time in the area.

Brad Miller, chief operating officer at Manchester Airport, commented: “This new measure will allow us to manage our security process more efficiently in these challenging times, providing a better and more comfortable experience for passengers.

“It is the latest in a series of measures introduced by MAG to make travel safer during the pandemic, which includes asking passengers and colleagues to wear face coverings and piloting temperature screening technologies.”

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Passengers are being advised to arrive inside their allocated period to ensure they have access to the special queue. MAG

The airport is encouraging passengers to book a slot which falls around two hours before their flight departure time. If travellers arrive outside the allocated period, they will be directed to the standard security queue.

If successful, the airport group expects the technology to be put in place at two of its other airports, London/Stansted and East Midlands.

This type of scheme featured in our recent Key.Aero exclusive article called The Future of Holidays. One of our experts Thomas Budd, a senior lecturer at Cranfield University, proposed a similar idea. To read the full article and find out what other suggestions our experts made, click here.