A digital queuing system to reduce waiting times at Berlin Airport

The system will be one of the first such in any European airport

Last week, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) became one of the first European airports to introduce a digital form of security control queueing. Now passengers will be able to reserve a security check in advance through a free platform called BER Runway.

This would shorten the time people need to spend at airports and help prevent the persistent bottlenecks airports have been suffering in the last months.

Trouble at European airports

Since governments around the EU have gradually lifted pandemic restrictions, international travel has been picking up. However, with the increased demand especially around the summer holiday season, airports have been feeling the squeeze from having operated at reduced capacities for the last two years.

The big problem according to a report by the Institute of the German Economy from June 2022, was that a lot of the service specialists, like flight attendants and ground staff, have just left the sector. Because these jobs require certain qualifications, it is not easy to replace people who have gone into other industries.

The industry faced immense bottlenecks and airline juggernauts like Lufthansa have been forced to cancel thousands of flights in some of the biggest airports in the EU, such as Frankfurt. Additionally, airport waiting times have gone up by a lot and baggage has turned into a Kafkaesque nightmare for unsuspecting travellers.   

Digitalisation to reduce waiting times

The idea behind BER Runway is to help reduce waiting times at airports and let both staff and passengers manage their time better. People can reserve a time slot online for separate access to the Terminal 1 security controls and plan their stay at the airport.

Here is how it works: Passengers can make a reservation on the BER website. For Schengen flights, it needs to be between 72 to one hour before the flight, while for non-Schengen, it needs to be from 72 to one hour and a half before.

Time slots are available every 15 minutes and can be used from 10 minutes before to 10 minutes after the reserved time. Furthermore, passengers with appointments can also use the general entrances for security, however, the airport asks that their BER Runway appointments be cancelled in advance.

Additionally, airport authorities still recommend passengers arrive at the site 2.5 hours before departure, although they will have to wait less and have a more organised experience.