DEPARTMENT FOR
TRANSPORT News Release (162) issued by The Government News Network
on 21 November 2007
More reliable and
efficient journey times for passengers using Heathrow would
benefit travellers and the economy the Transport Secretary, Ruth
Kelly, said today as she published evidence showing where
passengers' journeys can be significantly improved.
Every stage of a journey, from leaving home to arrival at the
airport, is analysed in Improving the Air Passenger Experience. It
gives a clear picture of where pinch-points slow passengers down,
identifies those accountable, and highlights what is being done
and what more can be done.
We intend to apply the same "end-to-end" analysis to
other airports and modes of transport in the future to ensure that
passengers are at the heart of all we do.
Ms Kelly said:
"My priority is to improve the experience of air passengers
and to do that we need to consider their whole journey time. It
is not simply the flight that matters. It's the journey to
the airport, the time spent in the queue at check-in, security or
immigration, and any delays spent on the aircraft waiting for a
slot to take off.
"If you travel from London to Frankfurt for instance you
will spend about 90 minutes in the air, yet the whole journey from
one city-centre to another takes about five hours.
"This is the first study of its kind which shows where
delays occur, who is accountable and how they can be reduced or
eliminated. This will not only give travellers an efficient and
more reliable journey - it will also help Heathrow maintain its
competitive edge in global aviation which is good for the entire
UK economy.
"BAA are making significant investments to expand capacity
at Heathrow, for example with Terminal 5 opening next March, and
this will have a major impact on the passenger experience. And in
the longer term, the construction of Crossrail will significantly
reduce journey times to and from the airport for many.
"There are further measures we can investigate to reduce
delays and these are outlined in this document."
Ms Kelly is writing to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to ask
for its views on how to improve the transparency of check-in times
and other aspects of performance related to getting through the airport.
The study includes data from the Department for Transport, BAA,
British Airways, CAA and the National Air Traffic Service. It is
available on the DfT website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/airports/improveairpassenger.pdf
Notes to Editors
1. Ruth Kelly launched Improving the Air Passenger Experience in
a speech today hosted by London First.
Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport
Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk