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Heathrow: Not fit for purpose
By Anna Davis and Jonathan Prynn, Evening Standard Last updated at 14:20pm on 31.07.07
Heathrow hassle: passengers caught up in the summer holiday rush. Business travellers are in revolt against the conditions
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Heathrow is facing a revolt from despairing business leaders.
Delays, queues and frustrations over lost luggage and the airport's rambling layout are now so common that many executives are taking any alternative they can find.
Sir Thomas Harris, vice-chairman of Standard Chartered Capital Markets, said years of under-investment and poor planning had left Heathrow no longer "fit for purpose".
The problems have been worsened by security measures imposed after last summer's "liquid bomb" scare which limits hand baggage to one item.
Sir Thomas, a former senior diplomat, said: "The result is an experience so unpleasant that many international executives I meet will do almost anything to avoid travelling through Heathrow.
"The City of London in particular will be very hard hit if foreign customers steer clear of these conditions."
One-bag limit on hand luggage 'does not improve security'
Sir Thomas is the latest public figure to criticise Heathrow. Sir Terence Conran accused airport operator BAA of concentrating too much on its shops. He said: " Terminal 1 originally had two or three shops, plenty of seating space and was calm and clean.
"BAA at that time was customer-focused but when it became a privately owned company it realised that it could expand its shopping activities without planning permission, hence the bazaar atmosphere that now pervades their terminals."
Former chancellor Lord Lamont described Heathrow as a "really nasty place". The failings of Heathrow have been raised as one of the biggest threats to "UK plc" in meetings that Gordon Brown has held with business leaders.
The stark message comes the day after City minister Kitty Ussher said the Heathrow hassle factor was a threat to the health of the economy. Business leaders contacted by the Standard said "Heathrow hell" was already starting to hit the country's competitiveness.
Management consultant Alan Briefel, 48, from Brondesbury Park, said: "I have numerous clients and suppliers based overseas who are curtailing travel to the UK due to their experiences.
"BAA and Customs and Immigration's short-sighted attitudes and gross incompetence are depriving many businesses, hotels, conference organisers and other organisations of much-needed revenues and opportunities.
"People from abroad are making a systematic attempt to make more conference calls instead of flying.
"The problems at Heathrow are reducing the amount of travel. For sure, people are avoiding coming to Heathrow. Even Stansted and Luton are easier to travel through."
Another said it took longer to clear security at Heathrow than Tel Aviv.
Raphael Gee, 50, from St John's Wood, who often travels to Israel to visit family, said: "Tel Aviv is one of the most security conscious airports, but going through central security is nowhere near as terrible as at Heathrow. At Tel Aviv every passenger is interviewed by a security official who asks them questions about what they have been doing and how they travelled to Tel Aviv.
"Then you check in your bags, and you go through central security, which doesn't take nearly as much time as going through Heathrow. They have plenty of equipment and scanners that are laid out a lot better than at Heathrow.
"It is beginning to take longer to get on a plane at Heathrow than at Tel Aviv - which is ridiculous"
Mr Gee, a company secretary, will travel to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport in September but will avoid Heathrow altogether because of the problems he has faced in the past.
He said: "I am going to take the Eurostar to Brussels and then fly from Brussels airport to Tel Aviv. It will be quicker and works out around £50 cheaper overall than travelling from Heathrow."
Alan Hulme, a 50-year-old management consultant from Battersea, said: "The lack of customer service at the airport is culturally embedded. I feel that the staff are there to be awkward and unpleasant."
Chauffeur David Pitt regularly picks up customers from Heathrow. He said: "Sometimes I can be waiting for 50 minutes for the 'baggage in hall' sign to appear and can be waiting for one and a half hours for the passengers to come through."
A spokeswoman for Heathrow airport said figures from April, which was their busiest Easter on record, show 97 per cent of passengers queued for 10 minutes or less at security. She added that 95 per cent of passengers queued for five minutes or less. "Individual one-off instances do not reflect the considerable amount of work Heathrow has done to cut queueing times.
"BAA has spent in excess of £20million, has opened 22 new security lanes and employed 1,400 new security officers across the group since August last year with the single aim of cutting queueing times."
She added that the amount of time passengers spend queueing for check-in is the responsibility of individual airlines.
Earlier this month it was revealed Heathrow is in danger of losing its title as Europe's premier hub, with passenger numbers falling by 1.8 per cent year-on-year.
Instead, some frequent flyers are making connections through European rivals such as Frankfurt, Charles de Gaulle and Schiphol with British-based business travellers living outside London saying they prefer to take short-haul flights from local airports rather than struggle through Heathrow's crowded terminals and lounges.
Reader views (32)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
The majority of our company's clients are on the continent. They grew tired of Heathrow and London a few years ago, so we have to go to them. We have the luxury of travelling business class, so my check-in times are reasonable, but the time I save checking in is quickly eaten up by the security process.
Because the UK is an hour behind most of the continent, we have to take the first flight out. There's very little on this planet that's less efficient than BAA security when they open up for the day. At Terminal 2 the lines regularly extend beyond the serpentine railings. And, at the risk of sounding elitist, there's no Fast Track lane for Business and First Class which would at least make traveling via Heathrow a little more business friendly.
- Gary, London, UK
Rather silly of Sir Thomas to make his comments right before T5 opens. Surely since something is being done about the mess at LHR the comments are pointless? As for Georgie dragging BA into it, what do you expect? BA have a hub in an awful airport, of course it has affected their performance. BA do not run LHR it is the BAA and since they were sold to a Spanish building firm they do not want to spend on any new investments....
- Adrian, Windsor
As an American who travels to the UK multiple times per year on business, it's been shameful to watch Heathrow's decline over the last decade. Security checks have become more of a hassle than they are here in the US (and that's saying something!) Even worse, though, is BAA's criminal neglect of the airport's infrastructure. For the last 20 years they've built lavish shopping malls and left the rest of the airport (gate areas, check-in, baggage claim) to rot. Dripping ceilings, peeling paint, travelators that never work, broken escalators... yet somehow the shopping areas always seem nice and clean!
BAA are completely out of control. They know that the passengers will come to Heathrow no matter how bad it gets, so they've just given up on making it customer-friendly. They claim that T5 will "fix everything," but do we really trust BAA not to make hash of that facility too?
- James Sullivan, Chicago, IL, USA
I'd love to meet some of the 97% of people who queued for 10 minutes or less at security last April ... or is this just a case of dumping a couple of weasels into the words and playing with statistics - perhaps the midnight rush?
Personal experience suggests that on even a calm day 10 minutes is more than slightly optimistic!
- Berty, London
So, 1400 new staff spread over how many airports and terminals since this time last year and how many shifts in the week? 22 new security lanes, how many are open? Are we supposed to be convinced by BAA that they are improving things? They must think we are as stupid as they are. I was asked in a survey recently whether I thought there were enough shops or would I like to see more - it wasn't possible to say I would like to see them all closed and have an airport that is fit for purpose - which is getting on and off planes safely.
I've cut traveling - 25 flights from Heathrow two years ago, two so far this year with one more planned. It really is the closest thing to hell on earth I can imagine.
Passing through is stressful, why should queuing at all be acceptable? When you do, you are dealt with by a rude jobsworth who insists you take off belt and shoes for x-ray, you then watch it go through the machine and the jobsworth watching the monitor is chatting to their friends - what is the point? None whatever - unless you are a jobsworth!
- Phil Duncan, London, UK
When I visit UK, I fly to Schiphol (Amsterdam) then hop across to Leeds. Much cheaper and quicker.... and less hassle than Heathrow.
- Dennis Spence (British Ex-Pat), Manila, Philippines
I have travelled from Heathrow for many years and have never experienced any of these horror stories. In May I travelled from Stansted for the first time and vowed never use it again. The queues at security were long, the airport is filthy and the staff are rude and agressive.
- John Daly, London UK
This airport is hell. Nothing to do with security just like football we need outside know how thats all (Arsene Wenger )
- A.Avnr, london.uk
Of course Heathrow is awful and has been for at least 10 years, while Gatwick is little better. What about London City Airport? An abolute jewel - a joy to fly into and out of. A short hop then there to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam, to name a few, and you can connect to anywhere in the world. Unlike LHR and LGW it actually makes flying a pleasure.
- Tony, Montpellier, France
I can not believe the government allowed that work-shy and incompetent BAA employees bunch a 5th Terminal! How can they get away with such a bad service level and then get to expand? Heathrow should be closed and all employees should have to resit exams and apply again for their jobs. We really do not need more terminals of incompetence!!
- Walker, London NW1
Alan Hulme's quote in the article is spot on. Customer service is not a term BAA and its staff are remotely familiar with. 45 minutes in fast track security, just because BAA can't be bothered to staff more than one scanner during morning rush hour. After landing, it takes 20 minutes for a jetty operator to arrive, longer still for stairs and buses if on remote stand. I pity the crews who otherwise do a good job but have to apologise to the passengers that "we must have taken them by surprise - again". Every single day, BAA and its staff seem to be re-inventing all their processes and procedures. Their inefficiency and lack of interest and attention makes travelling through Heathrow the most gruesome experience in civil(ised) aviation. Without a radical change of attitude, not much will improve with T5.
- Christoph, London, UK
I guess you guys have never used Paris CDG.
- Isabel, Woking, England
The solution is for the government to force this ludicrous monopoly to meet service standards or face fines until such time as they do. No doubt the sellout to a Spanish construction company has made matters worse as they are just milking it for cash to pay for the mountain of debt they took on to buy it. When the Spanish property & construction boom finally implodes [as it already shows signs of doing] matters will get worse at Heathrow. New Labour is so good in meddling in our lives so why not meddle usefully for a change? Heathrow is a dump, Gatwick is far better and the Gatwick Express is a superior service all round. Of little comfort is the fact that JFK is little better than Heathrow and just finding the right terminal at JFK makes Heathrow look positively easy to use!
- James, London, UK
Working for an international firm, I can confirm that most of our overseas executives have reached the point where they will do anything to avoid flying in to, or out of, London. Waits of an hour for luggage are becoming commonplace -- which is down to gross inefficiency in handling and staffing.
In short, Heathrow has become an airport where the passenger comes last, compounded by government-sponsored baggage policy that flies in the face of logic. In fact, its about the only thing that is flying. If this nightmare is not sorted soon, it will definitely impact London as a global financial centre.
- Helene Davidson, London
Blame the government, not BAA. They're the ones who dragged Heathrow T5 through a ridiculously long planning fiasco - it should have been open years ago. T5 will make a massive difference - not just in itself, but in lightening the load on the other terminals. It can't happen a moment too soon.
- Asns, Suffolk, UK
British Airways and British Airports are awful. The people that work there are incompetent but especially lazy. They do not care, and they get away with it.
- Georgie, London
Heathrow has graduated into a disaster area for passengers.
Come November 14, when the second phase of the high speed Eurostar link to St Pancras opens, I strongly suspect there will be an en bloc migration of passengers, particularly businessmen, who can enjoy a 10 minute check-in, and city centre to city centre travel. It'll leave Heathrow on a limb, and add more proof that BAA has lost the plot. Plus it's a greener way to travel.
I used Eurostar from Waterloo 3 weeks ago and from arriving at ticket gate to clearing security, UK and French immigation took just 7 minutes.
Beat that Heathrow!
- Colin, Balsall Common
Heathrow is clearly the UK's worst airport - by a long long way. It should be avoided at all costs. There are plenty of other properly managed airports to choose from.
- Luciano, Bristol
Has everyone forgotten Terminal 5 opening next year will greatly reduce the number of people in the existing terminals, allowing renovation work to take place?
- Darren, London
I thought all airports were unpleasant places to be avoided if at all possible, but maybe that's just me. Shouldn't we be pleased that businesses are cutting down foreign travel, though? I thought there was an effort to reduce flights in order to reduce carbon emissions. So conference-calling is good - regardless of airline profits!
- Suzanne, London
Heathrow is too big, a blight on the landscape and its criminal how BAA have been allowed to expand without control and put profits before both environment and travel experience. Lets face it if you arrive at this dirty crowded airport you would not want to repeat the experience. Roll on the trains!
- James Reed, London
This article is not only true of Heathrow, but increasingly of Gatwick too. Particularly since the increased security checks, the staff express a zero quantity of common sense or compassion, treating everyone as if they're the next terrorist. Statistically this is quite clearly not the case.
And the funny thing is that us British are so good at implementing rules. The EU-wide restrictions on taking liquids through security are only impossed 'perfectly' in the UK. Try taking your washbag through security as carry on luggage in the UK, and you'll have to empty most of it in the bin. Try doing the same thing when travelling back from Spain, Italy and other countries, and common sense prevails.
- David Rutherford, Bromley, Kent
The airport situation in the UK is an absolute disgrace. It is an embarrassment that we - a country with the second largest economy in Europe - cannot design an efficent security process which has minimal impact on passengers. The extra security measures put in place are simply there to cover the backs of incompetent staff. Why did I still manage to walk through security unnoticed with a 300ml bottle in my handbagage? Not only that, both Heathrow and Gatwick are in dire need of refurbishment. Their environments are outdated and unwelcoming to international travellers, be they tourists or business people.
- Daniel, London, UK
There are not enough places to sit comfortably. The toilets are dirty and the car parks very poorly lit. Everything is done on the cheap. The management should be sacked and a more competent team appointed.
- Lynne, Acton
My colleagues and I choose to use Amsterdam, Schiphol as our preferred international hub from Aberdeen to avoid the Heathrow malaise. It is one of the oldest commercial airports in the world but has failed to keep up with progress. Ironically it is one of those airports that would function perfectly if it wasn't for passengers.
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland
If had not been for NIMBYs and the long drawn out planning process, Terminal 5 would probably have opened years ago. Future developments of national economic importance must not be sabotaged in the same way.
Heathrow may be bad, but not as bad as the security queues at Denver a couple of weeks back. I all but missed my flight; later a search on Google confirmed that I was lucky in only having to queue for 50 minutes - the wait to be cleared can be more than two hours!
- Tonyb, Twickenham
I regularly travel from Heathrow to Europe and US and I have to say that in my experience LHR is the most inefficient, customer unfriendly, waste of time of an airport in the western world. It has a confusing layout that shows its age when compared with some of the other large airports and is clear that its current design evolved from necesity rather than evolving from a blank sheet design process...
So much of the infrastructure is in urgent need of overhaul - train links, Connection centre, road layout, parking, links between terminals, etc etc...
Seeing how integrated into main travel networks other airports such as Frankfurt and Amsterdam Schiphol are, highlights one of the other main failings of Heathrow. It needs proper train links (preferably long distance likeFRA & AMS) to the rest of the mainline network - not just Paddington and the underground.
Unfortunately Heathrow will continue to suffer until T5 opens, which should take the pressure off T1 and T4 and allow the reshuffle of airlines operating terminals. But only when T1 & T2 get trashed in favour of "Heathrow East" will it become livable... so thats only another 5 years away... and by that time the number of passengers avoiding LHR will probably cause BAA to rethink Heathrow East... Hopefully they will also try to plan better trainn links when looking at it though...
- Neil, Marlow, UK
I came through terminal 3 on Friday night it was chaos. Queued at passport control for 20 minutes and waited for another 20 for bags to arrive, after that it took 30 minutes to get to the car pack because we had to wait to get in the lifts. I did see not one member of staff trying to sort out the queues for the lifts and it was everyman for himself.
I travel regularly and always avoid Heathrow and try to use other airports or Eurostar.
- Danny, Bromley
The airport should be a stress-free streamlined transition from check-in to boarding the plane before a holiday or business trip. This is not the case at Heathrow, so vote with your feet and choose another airport to fly out from. I'm sure BAA will soon take soon notice of that.
- Tim, Kilburn
Heathrow is a logistical disaster. More staff on the ground would help ease the queues crisis and lost luggage debacle, but somehow I doubt that will happen anytime soon. The management have a lot to answer for.
- Rachel, Ruislip
BAA has allowed one of the busiest airports in the world to turn into a global joke blighted with long queues and lost luggage horror stories. Heathrow is now a nightmare to visit and instead of being a beacon in the aviaition industry has probably become a victim of its success.
- Jason, W, Arnos Grove
Flying out on holiday from Heathrow is awful, it always ruins the start of my holiday. It's an unpleasant place and the completely unorganised so it's difficult for people to use particularly as there are so many travellers passing through each day. It definitely needs a revamp I think.
- Ann, Surrey
