The low-cost airline Easyjet has introduced a new, automated baggage check-in system at Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg Airport. Just in time for the summer peak travel season, a total of 24 self-service kiosks have been activated for passengers in the previously temporarily closed and now modernized Hall 3 of EuroAirport.
At these stations, passengers can scan their boarding passes after online check-in, print their baggage tags themselves, and direct their suitcases to the conveyor belt. The infrastructure project was implemented in cooperation between the airport management, the airline, and the responsible ground handling service provider, Swissport.
The modernization project is part of a comprehensive overhaul of the terminal infrastructure at EuroAirport, which began in February of this year with the refurbishment of Halls 2 and 4. With the full reopening of Hall 3, all four terminals are now available to logistics partners just before the seasonal peak in traffic. Despite increasing automation, Swissport service personnel will remain present in the terminal to manage passenger flow. Passengers with reduced mobility or special baggage will continue to be processed at the remaining traditional check-in counters. EasyJet currently operates a network of 75 European destinations from Basel in its summer flight schedule.
Industry experts view the increased use of self-service bag drop systems as a business necessity for reducing ground times at European airports. Low-cost carriers, in particular, rely on standardized, error-free, and rapid processing to minimize aircraft turnaround times and optimize fleet rotation. By shifting the check-in process to passengers, airports and service providers are also attempting to counteract the ongoing shortage of skilled ground staff. However, critical observers point out that technical malfunctions at the kiosks or user error by inexperienced travelers during peak hours could lead to temporary bottlenecks and unforeseen queues at security checkpoints.
The increasing digitalization of airport infrastructure is shifting operational risk and preparation time more and more towards the consumer. For the trilateral Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg Airport, which is already administratively complex due to its location on three national borders, the standardization of passenger flows represents an important step towards ensuring capacity. Since passenger volumes are highly concentrated during holiday travel, the stability of the new system must prove itself under real-world full-load scenarios in the coming weeks.