Another hot and busy summer of travel is underway in Europe, with global travelers once again putting their seemingly insatiable appetite for vacationing in Europe on full display. And as destinations grapple with how to manage the crowds, airports, too, are being pushed to their limits with lines and wait times at Europe’s airports often building up as travelers start to stress about whether they will make their flight.
Thankfully, there’s a new option for getting past lengthy security lines at some major Europe airports—and it’s absolutely free.
In the USA, travelers with TSA PreCheck (a security expediting service that costs $78 for a five-year membership and $70 to renew) can access typically shorter and faster dedicated lines. But when we’re across the pond, TSA PreCheck does diddly-squat for us. Last year, however, Clear (another U.S.-based security expediting platform that costs $189 per year) acquired virtual queuing company Whyline and has since partnered with airports in North America and Europe to develop a security line reservation system called Reserve by Clear. It allows travelers to schedule a security line time slot in advance and jump to the front of the line during that window. And while Clear membership costs money, making one of these advance security line reservations does not.
The service is already available at several airports in the United States and Canada, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City (JFK), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA). It’s also available at a growing number of airports in Europe, including most recently at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Europe airports that offer Reserve by Clear
Reserve by Clear is now available at the following airports in Europe:
- Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
- Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER)
- Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
- London Luton Airport (LTN)
- Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO)
Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam recently made the Reserve by Clear service available on flights to the United States.
Photo by Shutterstock
How to use Reserve by Clear at Europe airports
The Reserve by Clear service at Europe airports isn’t always available for flights to the United States.
When asked about which flights include access to Reserve by Clear, a Clear spokesperson told Afar that each airport has full discretion over which security checkpoints can be accessed with Reserve by Clear “and therefore, which flights or gates are accessible via a Reserve lane.”
According to the Clear spokesperson, “We are always working with our airport partners to expand the program to serve more travelers.”
Thus, as the program continues to grow and expand, it’s worth checking to see if your flight from Europe to the United States does have access. Even if it doesn’t have it now, by the time you fly, your flight may have been added to the roster.
Here’s how it works.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
If you’re departing from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (hello, KLM and SkyTeam alliance/Delta fliers), you can head to ams.whyline.com to make an advance reservation for the security lanes up to two days before your flight. You enter the date you’re flying, the destination, the airline, and the flight number. You then select your party size (so families and traveling companions only need to do this for one member of their party) and an appointment time. Once you’re given a QR code for the reserved time, you will have up to 15 minutes after the selected appointment time to scan it at the designated security lane.
The security reservation service at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) is available for flights from Schiphol to the United States.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport
In 2022, Berlin Brandenburg Airport introduced a new BER Runway option that allows travelers to reserve a timed window for heading through security. You can make the reservation online up to six days prior to your flight; BER Runway includes access for flights heading to the United States.
Berlin airport authorities remind travelers to account for the amount of time they will need to check in and drop off bags before entering the security line. Armed with the QR code they received when making the security line reservation, travelers will then head to the BER Runway entrance at security control 4 in Terminal 1. The expected wait time for the BER Runway security line is around 5 to 10 minutes.
Frankfurt Airport
FRA SmartWay is a free service at this German hub that allows users to book a slot for selected security checkpoints at Frankfurt Airport. Fliers can make the booking up to 72 hours prior to departure, and slots are available daily at fra.whyline.com. “Please be aware that there are a limited number of slots available and they can get booked up quickly,” Frankfurt Airport stated in an FAQ about the FRA SmartWay service. “We therefore recommend that you book as early as possible from 72 hours prior to your flight departure time.”
The service is currently available for flights out of Terminal 1 (area A, level 2—Schengen flights), Terminal 2 (area B west, level 2—Schengen and non-Schengen flights), and Terminal 2 (central control, level 2—Schengen flights).
When we tried to make a security line reservation for flights from Frankfurt to several U.S. airports, we had success, so it would appear that Frankfurt has added this option for U.S. flights, which wasn’t the case last year when the program was still in a pilot phase.
London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Last fall, London’s Heathrow Airport got in on the trend by launching a new Heathrow Timeslot program. Travelers going through security in Heathrow’s Terminal 3—which serves a slew of international carriers that include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Air France, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, and more—can schedule a dedicated time slot in the terminal’s security line. And it does apply for flights heading from the United Kingdom to the United States, among other international destinations.
Travelers can reserve their window up to three days in advance, and bookings can be made for groups of up to five people. After booking a slot, travelers will receive a QR code. Then, once they have checked in their bags, they can follow the signs to the Heathrow Timeslot area at their reserved time (and up to 15 minutes beforehand), where a staff member will scan the QR code and direct them to their dedicated security line.
London Luton Airport (LTN)
Previously, Hannover Airport in Germany had been on this list, and it has since been replaced with London’s Luton Airport, a smaller hub in the northern outskirts of London. Luton primarily flies within Europe, but if you are flying out of Luton, you can access the reservation system online up to four days prior to departure and input your destination airport code and corresponding airline and flight number to access a security line reservation slot.
Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO)
If you’re saying arrivederci to the recently overhauled (and award-winning) Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO), be sure to check if you can reserve a spot in the security lines through QPass, FCO’s security line appointment system. Travelers can search for their flight at fco.whyline.com up to seven days prior to departure. After entering their flight information, users will be provided with a QR code to access the service.
“Available appointment times are limited, so book as early as possible,” Rome’s airport authorities advise. Those who need to check in, check luggage, and obtain a boarding pass at the airport before heading to security should factor in those steps when securing a time slot.
When we searched for flights to the United States, we weren’t able to see any through the online reservation system, but we did see the service pop up for flights to Canada and Mexico, as well as for other destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Will more airports in Europe join Reserve by Clear?
As for whether Clear will expand its virtual queuing program to additional airports in the USA and abroad (and which ones), a Clear spokesperson only said, “We are continuing to add new partners in new locations.” Honestly, we’ll take it.
This story was originally published in October 2023, and was updated on July 11, 2024, to include current information.
