HIA advises online check-in, other steps to avoid Eid rush

Hamad International Airport has advised passengers departing during Eid al-Adha period to ensure they check in online, arrive three hours prior to their flight and use e-gates (if registered) to avoid queues and “continue enjoying comfortable and seamless travel” through HIA.

Passengers travelling through HIA are reminded that check-in closes some 60 minutes prior to departure time. During security checks, passengers are requested to ensure that they are not carrying any prohibited items such as liquids, aerosols, and gels and to pack any liquid containers in a clear, re-sealable plastic bag with each being 100ml or less. New baggage wrapping centres are located near row 3 and 10 in the airport.

Electronic items larger than mobile phones need to be removed from bags and placed in trays for X-ray screening. Small vehicles powered by lithium batteries, such as hoverboards, are prohibited for carriage. Passengers are also advised to minimise travelling with pets due to the holiday peak time.

For the convenience and safety of passengers returning from Eid and summer holidays during the busy peak period, access to the arrival and departure curbsides will be restricted to authorised vehicles only. Customers are encouraged to use the short-term car park facility during these periods.

It is worth noting that HIA has reported serving a total of 9.38mn passengers in the second quarter of 2019, making it the busiest second quarter the airport has seen. The record-breaking second quarter saw passenger numbers growing by 18.9% compared with the same quarter last year.

To accommodate this growth in its passengers, Qatar’s airport has successfully launched the first phase of its ‘Smart Airport programme’, through which it has commissioned some 62 next-generation self-service check-in kiosks and 12 self-service bag drops spread across the terminal, enabling passengers to check in, print boarding passes and bag tags; tag their bags; and drop them at the bag drop before proceeding to border control.

The swift process vastly improves customer experience and allows more passengers to be managed without physical expansion of the check-in facilities. It also empowers HIA passengers by offering total control of their journey from arrival to departure.

This has proven to be extremely popular, with up to 40% of the home carrier Qatar Airways’ passengers preferring to self-check-in; and a further 20% opting for self-bag-drop.

Passengers departing from HIA are advised to download the ‘HIAQatar’ mobile app available for both Andriod and iPhone for updates and to assist making the passengers journey more seamless with real-time information about flight status, baggage claim, time and direction to boarding gates and food, beverage and retail offers from Qatar Duty Free (QDF).