17.02.2009
More space and better check-in facilities in Terminal 3

Each day, close to 36,000 people pass through the northern end of Terminal 3 on their way between the terminal and the Metro station, train station, car parks or the hotel. In particular, the Metro’s great success, with three million passengers having taken it to the airport just during its first year, has made this terminal area a traffic hub. CPH is now making changes to obtain a better passenger flow and to improve check-in facilities in the terminal for the convenience of passengers and airlines.

Two new escalators from the ground floor to the Metro balcony will be the first step of the changes to be made to Terminal 3, and it will especially benefit the many Metro passengers. The layout of the terminal will be changed to create more space and better check-in facilities with more self-service kiosks. This will especially benefit SAS and other members of the Star Ailliance as it is primarily passengers of those airlines who use the check-in facilities in Terminal 3.

Doing away with bottlenecks
“The trains and the Metro have been a great success with our passengers and the many people working at the airport, and this means that the existing layout of Terminal 3 is no longer optimal. The existing stairs and lifts are bottlenecks during rush hours, making them a nuisance for passengers. As a result, we have started making changes to the northern tip of the building so that its layout better matches what is needed, and passengers can move more quickly and save time," said Kristian Kongstad, CPH’s real estate director.

Two completely new escalators are already being installed behind the construction partition walls, and this is only the beginning. The DSB (railway) ticket office will be moved to the eastern side of the terminal, and the news outlet and café will be on the opposite side of the terminal. This will completely change the layout of the space and free up 200 square metres, which will be used to improve check-in facilities.

More check-in kiosks
In the past few years, the number of passengers using the new check-in facilities has exploded. Fifty-eight per cent of passengers at Copenhagen Airport currently check in on their own, and of these passengers, 37% use the airport’s self-service kiosks.  “We are working together with the airlines, trying constantly to improve the check-in facilities and cut waiting times for passengers. That we’ve freed up the area in the middle of the terminal building allows us to increase the number of check-in kiosks and ensures a better passenger flow throughout the entire terminal," said Kongstad.

The full conversion of the terminal will be completed before the 2009 summer holiday season.