UK Airports Set To Get Long Awaited Revamp

Whether you travel frequently through corporate travel or just jet off once a year on holiday, there is no denying that everyone finds travel much more enjoyable when they are going from a well kept airport. Not only does the general cleanliness affect people’s travels but the facilities available such as bars, restaurants, shops and waiting areas can make a massive difference to how enjoyable someone’s flight can be.

 

Although the bulk of UK airports are looked after very well and have enough to keep holiday makers and those on corporate travel entertained, they have long been waiting for the funds to revamp themselves. There has recently been good news for Heathrow and Stanstead Airports as BAA has secured £7.65 billion for the two airports to get redeveloped.

 

Amongst the changes that are expected to take place include the building of Heathrow East which is set to replace Terminals 1 and 2 and the expansion of Stanstead Airport. This is great news for holiday makers and those on corporate travel because it means that there will be more flights and more facilities which will make flying a lot more enjoyable for everyone.

 

There have also recently been talks about raising more funds for another loan so that Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton Airports can all be revamped. These things take a lot of time to get the funding, the building plans approved and the work to actually get completed so it is unlikely that these changes will be made anytime soon.

 

However, once the various airports around the UK have been refurbished then everyone from those on corporate travel to those going on holiday are likely to see the benefits. The general day to day operation of all the airports is likely to improve as well as the facilities will be better. This hopefully means that people will be able to check in and get onto their flights as quickly and easily as possible. This is particularly great news for those who do a lot of corporate travel because no doubt they get sick of being in and out of airports all the time.

 

With great new facilities though and easy check in systems even people who do a lot of corporate travel will find the process so easy that they won’t mind doing this. As well as this it also means that holiday makers can get their journey off to a better start as they won’t have to deal with any hassles when it comes to checking in at the airport.  

British Airways Move More Flights To Terminal 5

One thing is for sure and that’s the fact that Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport has caused a lot of controversy and attracted a lot of attention from the very first day its plans were unveiled. From environmentalists protesting against the extra damage it would cause to the skies and local residents worried about even more noise pollution, to Naomi Campbell getting arrested at the terminal and long flight delays and cancellations. Everyone has been affected by the commotion from those on corporate travel to those who were looking forward to a nice relaxing holiday.

 

However, things finally seem to be calming down at Terminal 5 and British Airways appear to be regaining control of the situation. In fact, as of today, June 5^th 2008, the airline are intending to move more flights to that terminal as it is functioning a lot better now the original hiccups have been solved. This is especially good news for those who go on a lot of corporate travel because no doubt they have been seriously affected by all the problems Terminal 5 has suffered if they have been travelling a lot.

 

Some of the new destinations that flights from Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport will fly to include New York, Beijing and South Africa. These are some of the key destinations for the airport so the move is likely to benefit many passengers and make the operation of the airport a lot smoother for the staff. Regardless of whether people are on corporate travel or are going off on holiday, they are likely to be affected by this if they are flying to any of the destinations currently operating from Terminal 5.

 

BAA and British Airways are currently working very hard to complete the transfer of the remaining long haul flights to operate from the new terminal building. However, they don’t want to do this until it is practical so they can ensure that the change over goes smoothly and without any problems. They are well aware of the fact that they can’t afford anymore bad publicity and negativity about the extension of Heathrow Airport as they have had so much already.

 

It is more than likely that those who embark on a lot of corporate travel are going to be affected the most by the change – over. This is predominantly due to the fact that they travel a lot more frequently than someone who only goes on holiday once a year. However, now that most of the problems have been resolved at Terminal 5 it is hoped that these changes will be for the best.

Naomi Campbell Run In At Heathrow Terminal 5

The opening of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport has filled hundreds of inches of column space in all the top newspapers, been top news bulletins on the evening news and been the talk of the town ever since it opened last month. Long delays, missing baggage and flight cancellations have all contributed to the chaos surrounding the airport at the moment.

 

It seems no – one can escape the mayhem at Terminal 5 regardless of whether you are off on holiday, are on business travel or even if you are an international supermodel. Naomi Campbell was arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of assaulting a police officer after she had an argument with BA staff over her luggage.

 

The incident is said to have happened after the model was taken off her flight due to her temper with airline staff. Witnesses say that she tried to take too many bags on board with her because she was concerned about the current luggage problems that BA is facing. She did not want to put her belongings into the hold in case they went missing and argued her point until officers had to come onboard and handcuff and remove her from the flight.

 

A range of people saw the incident take place from those on business travel to those who were trying to enjoy the beginning of their holiday. People who saw the disagreement take place say that Miss Campbell was aggressive towards the police officer who was trying to escort her off the plane and same people even claim that she spat at the officer. Once the situation had calmed down she was taken to Heathrow Airport’s police station where she was questioned about the incident.

 

Few people will be surprised about the news of the model’s behaviour as she is regularly in the news because of her temper. As recently as last September, she was seen openly swearing at airport staff because they would not let her board a flight when she arrived just 11 minutes before take – off.

 

Thousands of travellers have been affected by the problems that the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 has brought regardless of whether they are going on holiday or are on business travel. Obviously this means that temper levels are high amongst staff and passengers as it is a very stressful situation. However, British Airways emphasise that they do not tolerate the kind of behaviour that Naomi Campbell displayed on the flight and have since barred her from flying with the airline ever again.  

The Problems With Heathrow Terminal 5

Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 building has caused controversy since the plans to build it were first announced. It stirred mixed emotions with environmentalists and local residents who are against the increased noise, pollution and traffic that it is going to bring. However, others, especially those who participate in a lot of business travel every year, feel that an extra terminal building is a wise move on behalf of British Airways. The reason for this is because it is hoped that the extension will help to ease the pressure of the increasing number of travellers passing through Heathrow Airport every year.

 

Since Heathrow Terminal 5 opened on March 27 2008 British Airways have faced nothing but problems and criticism from holiday makers and those on business travel. Whilst it is clear that the airport is simply experiencing teething problems with its new addition, a lot of travellers have been left feeling angry.

 

One of the main problems has been with the baggage handling systems which has meant that luggage has had to be sorted manually. Not only did this entail long delays for those trying to check in but it also resulted in hundreds of people losing their luggage. No doubt this got holiday makers’ journey off to an upsetting staff and created major problems for those on business travel. However, BAA took full responsibility for the loss of anyone luggage and did everything possible to try and rectify the problem so that the airline could start to function as normal again.

 

The problems that Heathrow Terminal 5 had with their baggage systems resulted in dozens of flights being cancelled as well. It is thought that one of the main causes of all the problems the new terminal has faced is due to staff confusion. Many of the staff were unfamiliar with the building and systems they were using which no doubt added to the delays and inaccuracies that occurred.

 

Just when BAA thought that there couldn’t be any more problems for Heathrow Terminal 5, the recent snow led to more than 100 flights being cancelled. This affected travel plans for holiday makers and those on business travel who were left feeling stressed, upset and stranded. Although the bad weather is out of the control of anyone and flights were affected throughout the whole of Europe, this was hassle that staff could have done without after an already stressful week.

 

Although Heathrow is facing many problems regarding the opening of Terminal 5 they hope to have everything up and running as planned very shortly. This means that holiday makers and those on business travel can continue with their journeys quickly and stress free.

Heathrow Airport Increases Security

Heathrow Airport will become the first airport in the UK to implement radical new steps in an attempt to increase and improve security. All British Airways’ domestic and international flights from Terminal 5, which opens in March next year, will require passengers to provide biometric information before boarding their flight. Such information includes fingerprint testing and facial scans which will validate the identity of passengers.

The main purpose of the new system is to assist border and immigration control when domestic and non-domestic passengers mix in the same terminal. As well as this, staff feel that it will definitely improve security and stop people from swapping tickets and getting on flights that they’re not supposed to.

The new Terminal 5 building, which is costing £4.3 billion to build, has been predicted to increase the number of passengers travelling to and from the airport by another 30 million a year. The airport is already the largest in the UK with around 70 million flyers using it in 2006. Depending on the success of this new system it may be used in other terminals at Heathrow Airport in the near future.

Terminal 5 will be used exclusively by British Airways and it is hoped that it will help improve the travel experience for passengers after recent security and congestion problems at Heathrow. There are high expectations for the terminal and a lot of pressure for it to be completed on time. With 2.3 million metres of cabling, 163 systems, 546 interfaces, more than 2,000 PCs, 5,000 mobile devices and 96 self-service kiosks there certainly is a lot to bring together.

As the world’s busiest international airport already, the addition of an extra terminal has unsurprisingly upset locals and environmentalists. With the tarmacked area alone being the equivalent to 200 miles of three lane motorway and West London being the most congested part of the South East, campaigners have been fighting hard to voice their disagreements with the extension.

It is thought that an extra 21,500 car parking spaces will be needed, however, nothing has been mentioned yet about whether or not the facilities for parking at Heathrow Airport will be increased.

Image belongs to: Esteban De Sousa Seibane. Taken from: www.flickr.com