The first airport in the United States has announced they will be offering virtual queuing as a permanent measure.
Over the summer, two airports, Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) were piloting virtual queues for select TSA security checkpoints.
The two pilot programs were done separately and were totally different systems. This article explains them both.
BOS’s pilot ended in July and still no word on what happened with it.
SEA’s “SEA Spot Saver” virtual queue program ended on August 31st and over 95% of the program’s users thought it was easy to use and saved them time.
Here’s what else they liked about it:
- Peace of mind getting to their flight (45%)
- Efficiency and saving time (43%)
- Avoiding crowds and congestion due to COVID-19 concerns (12%)
Apparently it went so well that effective September 1, “SEA Spot Saver” has now been added as a permanent feature at SEA.
Starting September 1, all passengers from any airline can use SEA Spot Saver at TSA Checkpoints 2, 3, and 5. Program hours are between 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m (that’s the airport’s busiest times). Spots are limited so passengers need to sign up 72 hours before their flight.
The fine print:
- All flights for every airline departing between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. are eligible
- SEA Spot Saver can be used at Checkpoints 2, 3, and 5 between the hours of between 4:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
- For Alaska and American Airlines flights, use Checkpoints 2, 3 and 5
- For all other airlines, use Checkpoints 2 and 3
If SEA’s virtual queue went so well that they started it as a permanent fixture the day after the pilot program was done, I hope it’s something that can be replicated at other airports. Meanwhile, for now, SEA is the one and only. Go to this page of their website for more info.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
