FROM a queue-jumping app to a Covid-killing robot cleaner, British Airways are pulling out all the stops to make jetting off on holiday as smooth as possible when foreign travel restarts tomorrow.
The Sun's Jacob Lewis went to Heathrow Terminal 5 to find out how the flag carrier's customer experience boffins are keeping air travel safe while making things more passenger-friendly than ever before.
QUEUE JUMPING
Similar to fast-pass tickets at a theme park, BA passengers can now line up to drop off their luggage by simply scanning a QR code.
The technology from Qmatic drops customers in a virtual line, allowing them to grab a coffee or just find a seat while their phone does the waiting.
Passengers receive a message alerting them when it's their turn to check-in and bag drop, allowing them to smugly stroll to the front of your own private line.
Travellers can even book a slot online before they reach the airport. BA is also trialling something similar at the gate.
With personalised boarding times, passengers can wait until their phone calls them up to board, helping passengers keep to social distancing rules and avoid the rush that can occur when boarding.
BA's Qmatic service is available during a three month trail on certain Terminal 5 flights but could be rolled out further in future.
COVID-KILLING ROBOTS
Meanwhile, Heathrow has employed a team of dirt-busting Daleks to exterminate Covid from any surfaces.
Using UVC light to quickly kill viruses and bacteria, two of the four units, called Victoria and Kelly, are tasked with cleaning Terminal 5.
Light from the souped-up sunbeds could cause nasty burns to humans, so the robots only operate at night.
The devices have pre-programmed routes that concentrate on high-touch areas such as toilets and automatically power down for safety reasons if human movement is detected.
TEST RESULTS IN 25 SECONDS
BA is pushing the boundaries when it comes to rapid Covid testing with the world's first 25 second test results.
The first airline in the world to use the Pelican ultra rapid test, flight and cabin crew members will be trialing the game-changing equipment.
The test by Canary Global delivers 98 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity in symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid carriers.
Users simply place a saliva sample into a disposable sensor unit, shake, and insert it into a re-usable digital reader connected to a smartphone.
BA say that they'll explore "what role it could play as a customer testing option" following the tests.
DIGITAL ORDERING
Passengers arriving at Heathrow can now use the Heathrow app's Grab and Go function to order food from any dining outlets in the terminal.
The service lets customers take their food to anywhere in the terminal that they'd like to eat, alleviating crowding in restaurants.
While for those flying business and first BA has gotten rid of buffets in all their lounges and now takes all food orders through a menu accessed on a mobile device via a QR code displayed at each table.
BA say that customer feedback has been great and they don't see the buffet making a comeback.
VACCINE AND TESTING PASSPORTS
Finally, BA is also trialling two digital travel apps to give customers peace of mind that they will meet the entry requirements for their destination before arriving at the airport.
Customers can use VeriFLY on all flights to the US, Canada and France as well as on all inbound flights.
While those travelling to Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, can now also upload their negative Covid-19 test result and other documentation directly into ba.com for verification before travel.
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