Iceland review - 2016, Page 78

76 ICELAND REVIEW
All Keflavík International Airport asks from you is
two-and-a-half hours of your time.
This year will see the largest number
of tourists ever traveling through Ke-
flavík International Airport (KEF): 6.7
million—up from 4.8 million last year.
We did the math and came to this con-
clusion: to make things work smoothly, we
need you to show up at the airport two-
and-a-half hours before departure. That’s
30 extra minutes of your time. Consider it
a fair exchange, given all the hours of ef-
fort we offer you in return.
IMPRESSIVE PROJECTS
To meet the challenge, the number of staff
has been increased massively in all areas
from security to passenger services and
parking. Investments have been made to
increase automated service, in addition to
expanding the terminal by 10,000 m2. A
new baggage handling system has been
adopted, much more efficient that the one
it replaces. Together, they constitute an in-
vestment of about ISK 15 billion (USD 122
million).
We have increased the number of
self-service check-in counters from 46 to
66, added five self-service baggage drop-
off units, as well as self-service boarding
pass checking gates. Moreover, an au-
tomated tray handling system has been
introduced in security, and staff have re-
ceived additional training, making it pos-
sible to serve about 1,800 passengers an
hour.
COLORFUL GUIDANCE
The arrivals area has been enlarged by
800 m2, and car rental counters have been
expanded to accommodate more custom-
ers. Additionally, the VAT refund counter
has been moved to the check-in hall.
Tourist welcoming in the arrivals hall has
been improved by installing a new tourist
information wall, as well as a service desk,
hosted by Isavia.
Finding your way around the airport has
never been so easy. We now have color-cod-
ed signs, certain to help you find your flight
fast. Comfort comes first at the airport.
Therefore, we have installed hundreds of
comfortable seats with tables attached;
your kids will appreciate the new play
areas on the first and second floors; and
you won’t go thirsty with access to wa-
ter fountains in the main building. We’re
constantly improving our free Wi-fi and
adding more charging stations for your
devices. Emphasis is also put on better
and faster food service than ever before,
Investing Billions to
Accommodate Millions
Gunnhildur Erla Vilbergsdóttir,
commercial manager.