Airport queue management: What is virtual queuing?

Airport queue management is the process of organizing and controlling passenger flow through airport checkpoints, and virtual queuing is one of the most effective ways to do it. By creating a virtual line or waiting space online, airports can reduce physical wait times, manage passenger demand more accurately, and improve operational efficiency. 

For airport operators and other stakeholders focused on passenger flow, moving airport queuing to a website or app also improves the traveler experience. Instead of standing in crowded lines, passengers join an online queue and use their waiting time more freely, which supports smoother operations, better resource allocation, and a less stressful airport journey.

In this article, we’ll explain how virtual queuing works, the benefits for airports and its passengers, and how to improve queue management at your airport by implementing a Better Virtual Queuing solution.

How does virtual queuing work?

There are two types of virtual queuing: fully virtual queues and hybrid virtual queues.

• Fully virtual queues: A fully virtual queue does not require people to be physically present. For example, if someone needs to interact with customer support, they may join an online queue via a chat window. Once it’s their turn, they receive assistance in the chat, on the phone, or via text message.
• Hybrid queues: A hybrid queue involves customers “lining up” via an online queuing system as they wait for something to take place in person. As they line up online, they can spend their waiting time as they please. When it’s their turn, they return to the physical queue area.

An online airport queue is a hybrid queue, because passengers must be physically present at the airport when their turn comes.

With virtual queuing, passengers simply book their slot online—either at home when preparing for their journey or upon arrival at the airport. Slots are typically offered in 15-minute intervals. Using artificial intelligence, the system predicts how many slots to offer during each interval to achieve the desired operational benefits.

When the virtual queuing slot is booked, the passenger receives a QR code as confirmation. The QR code is then validated at the touchpoint either using an e-gate or by an agent. Finally, the passenger is let through the dedicated lane or checkpoint.

The benefits: How virtual queuing enhances airport queue management

Virtual queue management provides a variety of benefits for airport operators and passengers alike.

Benefits of virtual queuing for airports

• Improved passenger flow: Virtual queuing systems enable operators to better manage airport passenger flow. This helps prevent overcrowding and ensures smoother transitions between processes such as check-in, security checkpoints, and boarding. In the end, proactive passenger management also helps reduce congestion at boarding gates.
• Increased passenger satisfaction: By reducing waiting times and streamlining the airport experience, virtual queuing leads to happier and more relaxed passengers.
• Data analytics and forecasting: Data collected through virtual queuing systems are often invaluable for forecasting demand, planning and allocating resources, and making informed decisions. Historical data and flight schedules help predict peak hours, busy periods, passenger movement, passenger behavior, and pressure in security lines. All of this can be used to improve the customer experience.
• Operational efficiency: Accurate staffing decisions must be made hours in advance and should account for variability in passenger arrivals and processing times. Using data to optimize staffing and reduce bottlenecks, virtual queuing enables airport operators to better manage their resources and improve operational efficiency. Real-time monitoring in solutions like Better Virtual Queuing provide instant visibility into queue status, while sensors measure queue lengths and crowd density in real time. Training airport staff on your automated queuing system also helps reduce queue lengths.

• Enhanced social distancing: Virtual queueing can help maintain social distancing by minimizing the need for close physical proximity between passengers in queues. This helps support airport health and safety measures.
  

Benefits of virtual queuing for passengers

• Reduced waiting times: Virtual queuing can significantly reduce the amount of time passengers spend standing in physical lines. They want estimated wait times and clear explanations for delays, especially when long queues form. This makes the airport experience less stressful for passengers, allowing them to focus on the excitement for the journey ahead.
• Time better spent: Not being confined to a physical line allows passengers to spend their waiting time on other activities such as shopping, dining, and exploring other airport opportunities. All of this could come back to the airport as non-aeronautical revenue.
• Flexibility and accessibility: Virtual queuing systems are typically accessible via a mobile device, with mobile apps also supporting check-in, boarding passes, and updates throughout the passenger journey. Each passenger’s time slot can be integrated into their boarding card, improving accessibility and adding a layer of flexibility and convenience to the airport journey.
• Optimization across operations: Virtual queuing systems can be used to manage queues across airport operations, including check-in, security screening, immigrations, and boarding, providing a cohesive, optimized airport experience. Automated check-in kiosks can reduce queue lengths significantly, while biometric identification can speed up passenger processing with less manual intervention.

Optimize your airport queue management with Better Virtual Queuing

The passenger experience begins the moment a traveler steps into the airport. It should feel smooth and not overshadowed by the frustration of waiting in long, unnecessary lines.

Many airport terminals are not designed for current passenger volumes, so designing flows to minimize bottlenecks is essential. Virtual queuing enables airports to offer a more pleasant experience to travelers, simultaneously improving resource management and the efficiency of their airport operations as a whole.

At Copenhagen Optimization, we developed Better Virtual Queuing to help you achieve exactly this — and much, much more.

Better Virtual Queuing is a queue management system that can be fully white labeled and presented to your passengers as part of a digital marketplace or your airport website. The solution allows passengers to book slots for check-in, security, and passport control. You can digitally nudge travelers to arrive outside of peak hours, providing relief during busy periods and supporting better flow at check-in counters and security screening. All of this significantly reduces the risk of long queues at your airport.

Better Virtual Queuing is part of Better Airport: a modular system featuring nine core modules that you can mix and match to create a customized solution suited to the specific needs of your airport. Every module can be connected, making it easy to forecast, understand, and plan passenger and baggage flows throughout the airport. Airport operators can combine flight schedules, passenger movement insights, and average wait-time measurements to identify recurring bottlenecks and improve the customer experience. We call this way of working Connected Operations — and we believe it’s the future of airport technology.

People also ask:

What is queue management in an airport?

Queue management at airports is the process of organizing and controlling the flow of passengers through different checkpoints and service areas within an airport terminal. It involves strategies that optimize the efficiency of queues, minimize wait times, and improve the overall passenger experience.

What is a queue management system?

Queue management is the process of managing and optimizing queues to reduce passengers' or customers' waiting times in line for products or services.

How can airports reduce queues at airport security?

1. Assess and improve your queue management strategy.
2. Implement digital queuing software.
3. Keep the rules of queuing fair and consistent.
4. Design your space to accommodate queues.
5. Inform customers of the duration of their wait.
6. Distract and entertain customers in a queue.