Heathrow airport: Passengers can now pre book free security time slots to avoid big queues

Heathrow airport passengers can now pre book a security slot ahead of their journey to help reduce queues.

Heathrow Timeslot is a free service which will give passengers a designated time and entry point to the security search area - which some airport staff hope will ensure peace of mind when travelling, as well as reduce queue times for all passengers.

The trial will be live in Terminal 3 for up to six months and initially be open to passengers travelling with American Airlines, Delta, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic. Further airlines may be added during the trial.

Mark Powell, Operational Planning Director at Heathrow said: “Everyone is familiar with airport security, but at Heathrow we’re constantly thinking of innovative ways to boost the safety and streamline the experience for our passengers.

“This new trial will give passengers that extra added bit of certainty and reassurance ahead of their journey and we think it will be particularly popular for those with families or nervous travellers who may want a bit more confidence in their journeys.

“We look forward to seeing the data come in to give us some learnings on how we can roll this out more widely across Heathrow.”

The Heathrow Timeslot service is subject to availability and if there are no available slots, passengers will go through security as normal. Passengers should still give enough time to clear security at least 45 minutes before their scheduled departure.

Other airports in the UK have similar systems in place, although you have to pay to use them. Manchester, Birmingham and Luton airports all have fast-track queues that let you pass through the masses more quickly and costs from around £5.