Different automatic solutions at Helsinki Airport make for a faster departure. You can avoid peak hours at service locations by using self-service points. The machines are easy to use and we always have staff there to help you. The self-service points do not replace people – they supplement the range of services.
"Using the machines requires that we help the customers. Self-service also releases more staff for personal service, such as problem-solving. This improves the service for passengers who need help and instructions," says Marko Tikkanen, Vice President at Finavia.
Frequent travellers, and business travellers in particular, are accustomed to using the self-service points and they appreciate the fact that the machines are fast.
Self-service points for a smooth departure
The first self-service points at Helsinki Airport are in the check-in lobbies. Passengers have access to a total of 52 check-in machines. After a successful check-in, they can go straight to security control or the baggage drop-off point.
SAS and Norwegian use machines at their Bag Drops. It is a simple process: put your bag on the conveyor belt, take the reader device and point it at the luggage label which you printed at the check-in machine and attached to your bag. When you hear a verification sound and the belt starts moving, everything is in order.
There will be more Bag Drops at the airport in the near future.
The most recently automated location before the gate area is in the security check area. It comprises two separate sections which will make security checks even smoother. The first section is the line for X-rayed hand luggage, and the second one has glass walls and is the person check line. However, the security check staff will not disappear: they will be needed by the lines regardless of the machines.
The automatic safety check line is Check-In Area 240–271 of Terminal 2. It is a pilot line, which still is in test use. In the future, there may be more new kinds of security checkpoint.
If your destination is in a non-Schengen country, the next self-service location will be at border control. Helsinki Airport has a total of 30 easy-to-use border control machines for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with biometric passports.
Vice President Tikkanen says that the self-service functions will be expanded further.
"We will review expanding Bag Drops and self-service travelling rights, as well as ticket inspection at the security check and at the gate," he says.
Oulu Airport also has self-service functions. Finavia also has plans to expand the functions to other airports.
