There’s nothing quite like a long line at airport security to seriously dampen the excitement of a trip or a vacation. To get through airport security as quickly as possible, you can try your best to avoid peak travel time, pack efficiently, pre-bag your liquids, and make sure your electronic devices are easily accessible until the cows come home. But at the end of the day, the power is out of your hands.
While some airports offer fast-track passes to skip longer lines through airport security, it’s not the ideal option if you’re looking to save money to spend at your destination. Finally, one airport is testing out a way to remove the potential of facing endless queues at security—for free. So much of the flying experience involves hidden fees or convoluted processes designed to catch travelers unawares, so this is a nice exception to a rather frustrating rule.
London’s Heathrow Airport has launched a six-month trial—aptly called “Heathrow Timeslot”—where travelers can pre-book a security slot, meaning that you may be able to avoid facing any lines whatsoever at security and effortlessly zoom straight through to the lounge.
The process seems fairly easy to use. First, check whether your flight is eligible for the service: The trial is only operating out of Heathrow’s Terminal 3 for passengers flying with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, and Virgin Atlantic. So if you are flying with a different airline, you won’t be able to book a slot. (At least not yet. There are plans to incorporate other airlines at a later date during the trial.)
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