‘More airport delays expected’
Slow check-in times at peak times are expected to continue, according to the UK’s largest airports operator.
BAA, which runs seven airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, wants to reduce queue waiting to five minutes, 95% of the time.
But the target could not be guaranteed by Easter or the summer peak, the BBC reported. BAA did not rule out using marquees for waiting passengers outside terminals.
BAA is to spend £40 million recruiting 1,400 security staff and opening 22 security lanes at its UK airports, which also include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton.
Chief executive Stephen Nelson reportedly said this would improve service in the long term but that it would take time to reach its targets.
He reportedly admitted that BAA was offering “an unacceptable delivery for too many passengers in terms of queues”.
Heathrow chief executive Tony Douglas was quoted as saying: “There is no question that customer service at Heathrow has been unacceptable and at times it continues to be unacceptable.”
by Phil Davies
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel