BETTER AIRPORT® and Social Distancing

Desk proximity constraints

At Heathrow´s Terminal 2, check-in desk capacity has been temporarily reduced by 36% due to the proximity of some check-in desks being less than 2 meters apart whilst we develop screening solutions to mitigate the limitations of social distancing.

We are currently using Better Check-in (part of Better Airport®) to show redundant desks to be avoided on the plan and have built the restrictions into the demand calculation and rules, thus enabling desks to be allocated around the redundant desks.

Queue capacity

Managing socially distanced queues and congestion is particularly challenging and requires a good level of predictive insight to plan effectively.

Better Check-in’s Queue Vision feature provides valuable insight of queue capacity and an early warning indicator of potential spillage (due to social distancing) outside designated queuing areas.

Variable m2 values per passenger can be applied to ensure personal passenger space meets social distancing guidelines, and when combined with the m2 capacity of each queue area, enables our teams on the ground to plan more effectively in advance and ensures social distancing can be maintained across the check-in concourse.