Heathrow an Embarrassement, says IATA
June 4th, 2008 Posted in AirportsService levels at Heathrow Airport are “a national embarrassment”, Giovanni Bisignani, head of International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said.
In a report on half-year air traffic results, IATA criticized the UK’s “unique screening policies,” which it said “inconvenience passengers with no improvement in security.”
The report comes after UK ministers said tougher airport security measures were creating longer queues that could become new targets for terrorists.
London’s Heathrow Airport has also been criticized for suffering from excessive delays and an ineffective setup.
UK regulations state that passengers can only take a limited quantity of liquids on board and can carry only one item of hand luggage.
IATA also criticised the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), saying it was allowing Heathrow to increase charges by 86% over the next five years.
The CAA responded:
Clearly Mr Bisignani is referring to the price control at Heathrow Airport. Airport charges at Heathrow reflect the costs of providing investment and services to passengers. These airport charges are paying for the modernisation of Heathrow, in terms of both facilities and services, for the direct benefit of the passenger. This includes paying for the capital and operating costs of T5, the construction of the Heathrow East terminal, and bringing the rest of the airport up to modern standards.
‘The CAA agrees that passengers and airlines deserve better service than BAA has provided hitherto, which is why the CAA has put in place tougher service standards and greater financial penalties if BAA fails to deliver – for example BAA will have to pay back £1.2 million to Heathrow airlines for its poor service performance in April this year.’
Mr Bisignani said such increases could only happen in “monopolyland”.
IATA further added that BAA “continues to deliver embarrassingly low service levels by failing to invest in appropriate equipment and staff to meet demand. This must stop.”
Bisignani said no airports in any other country have the same problems as Heathrow.
“Everybody is trying to avoid Heathrow. But you don’t need high technology. You don’t need any kind of special tool. You need right staffing, good practice in implementing some kind of operational, I would say new equipment, in order to avoid those queues.”
Kitty Ussher, London’s City Minister, has also expressed concerns that delays at Heathrow and the airport’s layout could drive business away from the country.
“You spend so much time being processed. That’s the issue … passports, security, just the layout of the buildings, which makes it more difficult,” she said in an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.
BAA said it was committed to improving services for passengers.
“Over the next five years BAA will be investing over £4bn to improve and transform Heathrow’s facilities,” its statement said.
“The vast majority of this will be spent on improving existing terminals and that will mean faster check-in, improved security, better baggage connections, and superior terminal facilities.”
Giovanni Bisignani – Bio
Giovanni Bisignani joined the International Air Transport Association as Director General & CEO in June 2002. Since that time Mr. Bisignani has completely re-shaped and re-focused the organization to better serve its global membership of 230 airlines with a mission to represent, lead and serve the air transport industry.
In 2004, under Mr. Bisignani’s leadership, IATA began Simplifying the Business – bringing convenience to travellers and cost reduction to airlines through effective use of technology. The programme’s headline e-ticketing initiative will eliminate paper tickets globally by June 2008. And the cargo equivalent – IATA e-freight – is modernising the industry by eliminating cumbersome paper documentation.
Mr. Bisignani has engaged airports and air navigation service providers to build a new business partnership with a common goal of cost-efficiency. This has delivered billions of dollars in savings. Meanwhile, the Association’s calls for transparency and effective economic regulation of monopoly suppliers are positively impacting legislation around the globe.
Most recently Mr. Bisignani placed IATA in a leadership position in the debate on climate change and aviation. While air transport’s contribution to climate change is limited to 2% of global carbon emissions – Mr. Bisignani has united the industry in a drive to achieve carbon neutral growth and eventually zero-carbon emission technology.
Mr. Bisignani is a Board member of NATS Holdings Limited, the air traffic services provider of the UK
Mr. Bisignani’s career prior to joining IATA spans several industries. He launched the European travel portal Opodo and spent five years as CEO and Managing Director of Alitalia. He has been a Member of Pratt & Whitney Advisory Board and Chairman of Galileo International. Mr. Bisignani began his career with Citibank and then held several high-level positions at the energy company ENI.
Mr. Bisignani studied both in Rome and the US (Harvard Business School). Born in Rome in 1946, he speaks Italian, English and Spanish. He is married with one daughter and enjoys golf, tennis and riding.
Tags: BAA, CAA, Heathrow Airport, IATA
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