Brussels Airport, 19 March 2008 – The number of airlines at Brussels Airport that make use of fast lane, the fast security screening for business passengers, has significantly increased since it was first introduced in March 2007. The tour operators too are hopping on board. As of Thursday 20 March passengers travelling with Pegase (Thomas Cook’s luxury segment) can make use of the security fast lane and as of Friday 21 March Jetair’s VIP customers may do the same. Austrian Airlines will offer the fast lane service as of 1 April. Fast lane users must undergo the same security screening as all other passengers, but they will loose much less time queuing. On presentation of the special barcode on their boarding pass, fast lane users can pass more quickly through security via a separate screening point. Fast-lane users never have to queue for more than five minutes, which is less than half the average waiting time in other security queues. Last year, Brussels Airlines, TAP and SAS were the first airlines at Brussels Airport to offer this service. And with success. The first experiences by passengers and airlines alike proved positive. In the meantime VLM Airlines, US Airways, Adria Airways, American Airlines and Jet Airways started with fast lane. With Thomas Cook, Jetair and Austrian Airlines the number of carriers offering the fast screening concept has increased to 11. Together these airlines account for 65% of all passengers travelling through Brussels Airport.

The expansion of fast lane fully fits in with the segmentation strategy pursued by Brussels Airport. The fast lane service was introduced on the request of the full-service carriers to meet their business passengers’ demand for shorter waiting times, but in the leisure segment too there is a growing interest in this product with added value.

About Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport is one of the largest airports in Europe, handling well over 17.8 million passengers and 780,000 tons of freight annually. Brussels Airport links the European capital with 227 destinations worldwide that are served by 96 different airlines: 80 passenger airlines and 16 full-freighter airlines.

Brussels Airport is dedicated to become the most European, most efficient and most welcoming airport in Europe. Brussels Airport caters for the specific needs of the business travellers, but also has the largest low-fare offer in Belgium.

Brussels Airport is operated by The Brussels Airport Company. The shareholders are the Belgian State (25 percent) and a consortium of investors headed by Macquarie Airports (75 percent).

Over 260 companies and services are active at Brussels Airport. Together they employ 20,000 staff.

Source: Brussels Airport
For further information about Brussels Airport, click here