Heathrow Terminal 2 Check In

Heathrow's new Terminal 2, The Queen's Terminal, begins its phased opening this month. Outstanding customer service is central to the project and this led Heathrow Ltd to commission Billings Jackson to redesign the fast bag drop check-in desks, with a flexible design that also facilitates full service check-in.

The brief called for a desk that would satisfy multi-airline occupancy as 26 airlines, of which 23 are Star Alliance, will use Terminal 2 once it is fully operational. The operators' priority was for the desk to be comfortable and give staff a feeling of security while from a customer perspective a quick and easy process is paramount. 

The innovation lies in the ability to reconfigure the desk to suit each airline's protocols and to best reflect its brand. It brings the staff closer to the passenger, with the option to have the desk open, partially open or fully closed and to allow check-in staff to sit or stand.

To win client and stakeholder approval a 1:1 test-rig was built and a real-time ergonomic film was created to demonstrate the concept. With high approval ratings from the Star Alliance airlines, the new desks are seen as central to the launch of The Queen's Terminal as a best-in-class service provider.