British Airways trials ‘queueless’ check-in at the Heathrow Terminal 5 Arrivals Lounge
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
Back in May, British Airways announced that it was going to launch a 3-month trial of ‘queueless check-in’, which would allow you to pre-book a check-in slot before you arrived at the airport.
This is now active, for those whose flights are taking part in the trial, using existing check-in desks in Zone E in Terminal 5.
This week British Airways has also trialled something different – using the Terminal 5 Arrivals Lounge for pre-booked check-in for premium passengers. One of our readers gave it a try and reported back.
(EDIT: This article was updated during Friday with additional information supplied by BA.)
The Arrivals Lounge check-in service was only being offered on a handful of flights this week.
Participants received an email from British Airways asking if they wished to participate and given an online form to complete:
You could book a time slot to arrive at the Arrivals Lounge in Terminal 5.
If you have never been in the Arrivals Lounge, it is on the mezzanine level above the Arrivals Hall. This means that you need to be dropped off at Arrivals if arriving by taxi. If you are dropped at Departures then you need to double back on yourself which partly defeats the object.
On arrival at the lounge our readers was invited to weigh his checked luggage. Once the weight was been recorded he proceeded into the Arrivals Lounge for a drink:
…. whilst someone checked paperwork and printed baggage tags and boarding passes:
Once the paperwork was complete, he wheeled his luggage back to the exit where the baggage handlers took it from him. He headed off to the Departures Level for security.
Is BA’s queueless check-in worthwhile?
Our reporter said:
“All in all it was a novel experience but, at 5am, I could see no real advantage over checking in upstairs at a Club World / Club Europe check in desk. At busier periods it could possibly save time especially as you have a guaranteed slot.
Another drawback is that no one takes your luggage from you until the end of the process. You have to move your luggage over to the scales to be weighed, then on into the lounge and then over to the baggage handlers at the exit, all without any help. This was not an issue for us but for the infirm or those with a lot of luggage it could be problematic. All in all this is a good concept but it might still need some minor refinements.”
Overall, it seems like something that is worth trialling if you are invited – just make sure that you head to the right level in Terminal 5 or you may end up taking more time than using the standard check-in process. It isn’t clear how this trial will develop for BA, given that the Arrivals Lounge should be back in service for its original purpose once the volume of flights from the US increases.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2024)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £12,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) and free for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
Comments (33)