Posts Tagged ‘Heathrow’

Future Heathrow busted for misleading advertising

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

The Advertising Standards Authority has decided that certain adverts placed last year by Future Heathrow, a group in favor of the third runway at Heathrow, were misleading to the public. Consequently, the advertisement is prohibited from running again in the future.

The adverts ran during the time period preceding the governments vote to approve the airport expansion at the beginning of 2009. Specifically, the ASA ruled on two specific parts of the advert which it believed were misleading.

The first was the claim that a runway expansion would not increase noise, dirt, or pollution at the airport. The other disputed claim involved representations about the level of nitrogen dioxide that would result after the expansion.

BAA, who operates Heathrow, defended the group and the advert on both counts, but the ASA would have none of it. BAA pointed out that the misstatements were made in good faith and that the public was capable of sorting out any misunderstanding or misinterpretation of facts.

“The evidence we had seen was not sufficient to justify an absolute claim that noise and pollution would not increase following the construction of a third runway. We concluded that the claim ‘a third runway won’t make Heathrow any noisier or dirtier’ was likely to mislead,” concluded the ASA.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote. For more information on this article please visit their website.

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Britons took 2 million fewer trips this summer

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Faced with the economic downturn and a weak sterling against the euro, Britons took the fewest holidays abroad in the last seven years. Statistics dropped by 17% just for the month of June alone. That is according to the Office of National Statistics.

Last year during April, May, and June, British holidaymakers took almost 15 million trips to Europe. This year the figures were all the way down to 13 million. This confirms the notion that Britons decided to “staycation” this year to save money.

Visits to the US and Canada also declined by almost a 270,000 so far this summer. The sterling did better against the dollar and there were some travel bargains to be had on North American trips.

The statistics may change, however, when new figures are released next month for July and August. Late summer travel has reportedly been picking up.

“Poor weather in July, together with the revised Met Office summer forecast, has seen many UK travellers switch their plans from domestic to international,” according to Chris Lee, travel expert with Barclays Commercial.

Ryanair has seen increased traffic and recently opened 14 new routes out of Leeds Bradford. Heathrow handled 6.48 million travelers in June which proved to be one of their busiest months. Gatwick and Stansted airports have also reported increased late summer traffic.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote. For more information on this article please visit their website.

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Robotic taxis to transport passengers at Heathrow

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Starting next year, passengers at Heathrow Airport will be able to board a driverless taxi to travel to and from the Business Car Park and Terminal 5. The small electric cars will carry up to four passengers and will be steered robotically using a high-tech laser guidance system.

The taxis were designed and built in the UK by Advanced Transport Systems Ltd with the assistance of Bristol University. They’re calling the innovative shuttle system the Personal Rapid Transport (PRT).

“We believe that our PRT system can transform cities in the 21st century to provide the optimum form of environmentally friendly urban transport, relieving congestion and reducing emissions,” said the inventor, Professor Martin Lowson.

The initial fleet at Heathrow will consist of twenty-one vehicles. The cars are already being tested, but are not yet available for public use. When the system is unveiled next year, passengers will be able to board the tiny driverless shuttles and enter their destination using a computer touch screen. The robotic car does the rest.

The taxis are capable of traveling at 25 miles per hour and can complete the trip from the car park to the terminal in about four minutes. There will be no charge for the journey.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote. For more information on this article please visit their website.

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Heathrow’s figures on the rise

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Staff at Heathrow airport may soon be popping the champagne as for the third month in a row the number of passengers has risen, making last month the third-busiest month of traffic on record in July.

The number of late bookings increased dramatically last month, as more than six million passengers passed through the airport, which was an increase of 0.9% compared to July 2008. Last month was the airport’s busiest month since July 2006, with a 5.5% increase in long-haul flights, with the average number of passengers per aircraft up to a record number of 162.

This is quite a contrast to the figures for the UK’s other airports. Examples of this can be seen at nearby Gatwick, where the traffic volume fell by 4.8 percent, while it feel by 12.9 percent at Glasgow and 5.7 percent at Stansted.

As a spokesman for BAA said in a recent interview: “Heathrow’s traffic has been gradually stabilising since last year. If you look at the trend, it’s not a huge surprise.”

However, most of the airlines operating out of Heathrow airport are still offering low tickets rates and great deals to entice customers, making this the ideal time to take to the skies.

Thanks to www.breakingtravelnews.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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British Airways eliminates free meals on short flights

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

In a bid to reduce £400 million in losses, British Airways is cutting back on in-flight food service on flights out of Heathrow. The new policy will be implemented starting in August. From then on, BA won’t be serving meals after 10:00 am on short flights of less than a 2.5 hour duration.

BA has already implemented the plan on flights out of Gatwick where passengers only get a biscuit or, in some cases, a snack food such as pretzels. The new fare is more in line with discount service providers like Ryanair and easyJet.

Besides the cut backs on BA’s short flights, long flight passengers will also be noticing some changes such as no more free bottled water. Also, business class passengers will be served a skimpier second meal before landing.

A spokesperson from BA defended the move by saying, “When you fly with British Airways the in-flight catering is top class and, unlike some other airlines, it is free. It is not unusual to make small changes to avoid waste and save money where it makes sense and it meets customers’ changing tastes.”

The reductions in food and beverage service are supposed to save around £22 million a year for the struggling airline. Employees have been critical of the plan.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quote. For more information on this article please visit their website.

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