Heathrow insisted his registration process “generally works well in May” despite the chaos at UK airports during semi-secret vacations after recording its busiest month since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UK’s largest airport said on Monday that with more passengers checking in online, 90% of passengers went through security in less than 10 minutes in May.
Heathrow said no more flights were canceled in less time than on a regular day, and border forces “performed well” during the month.
Vacationers who escaped during the jubilee half-season break faced long queues and canceled flights as the aviation industry struggled to cope with staff shortages and the number of passengers returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Other airports, including Gatwick and Manchester, appear to have suffered the most. But Heathrow’s customers complained that they had to stand in line for passport control hours from the weekend before the semi-secret vacation.
Heathrow said he worked with border forces to reduce queuing time after an influx of passengers into the immigration hall of Terminal 3.
Heathrow said resources remained “tight” but were working to “match supply and demand”, which made the difference between Easter and the mid-term holidays.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kay said: “I am extremely proud of the way my team has worked with airlines and other partners to ensure that passengers escape during the anniversary half-season.
“We continue to make good progress with our capacity-building plans and work closely with airlines and the government to balance supply and demand as we grow so that passengers can travel through Heathrow this summer with confidence.
Airports and airlines have faced widespread anger from holidaymakers after delays and canceled flights.
Heathrow said he was confirmed in his plan to “maintain high levels of passenger service” by criticizing other airports.
The company said: “The last thing passengers want is a plan to reduce prices, which leads to canceled holidays, stress and” quotes “observed at other airports. We call on the Civil Aviation Authority to protect levels of service and sustainability, stimulate investment and maintain affordable private funding.
It says initiatives can be achieved with a 2% increase in ticket prices.
Some of the thousands of people whose flights have been canceled or delayed during the chaos for half a time have been told they will not receive compensation.
Heathrow said the number of passengers was at 79% of pre-coronavirus levels in May, as 5.3 million people traveled through West London Airport, the busiest month since March 2020.
Sign up for the daily Business Today email or follow the Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk
Although this is about one-fifth of the total for May 2019, this is almost eight times the increase compared to May last year, when travel restrictions were in place in the UK Covid-19.
Terminal 4, which was closed due to the virus crisis, reopens on Tuesday before the summer rush hour. It will initially be used by 30 airlines.
Nearly 2 million passengers traveled to the EU from Heathrow in May, while 1.4 million traveled to North America. Flights to the Middle East were also popular.
Add Comment