British Airways customers travelling from Heathrow’s Terminal 5 will now be able to drop off and check-in their luggage with partner AirPortr as soon as they step off the Heathrow Express.

The new fast bag drop service is free of charge to customers who have already checked in at home. With the first drop-off point planned at the Heathrow Express train platforms, customers will be able to quickly and securely drop-off their luggage at peak times, before travelling bag-free straight through to security. AirPortr’s team seals, secures, and checks in bags for customers’ flights, before being collected from the reclaim at their destination.

AirPortr also offers customers the opportunity to have their luggage collected and checked in from their home or office up to 24 hours before their flight, from GBP19 (US$26). Luggage can be checked in at designated fast bag drop points as soon as customers reach the airport, or alternatively, they can pre-book a collection from their home or office online.

Passengers can track their luggage online from the moment it leaves their doorstep, or at the T5 key access areas, right up to the bag being loaded onto the aircraft. Customers using the services also receive digital bag tag receipts.

“Ahead of July 19, we have been busy investigating and trialling ways to ensure that we can offer our customers the smoothest journey through the airport possible,” says Tom Stevens, British Airways’ Director of Customer Experience. “We believe this contactless initiative with AirPortr allows our customers to avoid baggage check-in queues and move through the airport without the hassle of carrying luggage, as well as offering the reassurance that we are doing everything we can to ensure the safe delivery of their bags from doorstep to destination.”

As well as the AirPortr’s luggage service, British Airways also offers a special twilight baggage drop service the night before travel from Heathrow Terminal 5, when customers are able to deliver their bags to the airport terminal between 4 and 9 pm the day before they travel.

The airline is continuing to explore how it integrates other technologies to further streamline the customer experience, including trialling digital travel apps to ensure customers meet the entry requirements for their destination before arriving at the airport. Customers can currently use VeriFLY on all flights to the US, Canada and France as well as on all inbound flights. The airline has also recently announced its involvement in IATA’s Travel Pass. The digital travel solution will begin on British Airways’ flights from Heathrow to Geneva and Zurich.

British Airways’ customers travelling to 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.

Elsewhere the airline is trialling new intelligent queuing technology from Qmatic, that enables customers to virtually queue at check-in by pre-booking their slot time in advance of arriving at the airport

For more Airline & Airport stories click here.

STAY IN THE KNOW BY FOLLOWING US ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, & LINKEDIN