Is check-in causing more grief than security?
August 2, 2007
Today we report some interesting results that have emerged from a Travel Counsellors initiative in which customers have been encouraged to log their airport experiences on a dedicated website.
Responses on ukairportdelays.co.uk suggest that air travellers are getting most grief from check-in desks.
This rather contradicts the typical line from airlines, which is that airport chaos is down to tight security and mismanagement by operator BAA.
A few samples from the Heathrow comments:
Other passengers whose flights were nearer takeoff time appeared to be trapped in the long queues...We queued for over one and half hours in Terminal 4...I had to queue for 55mins to drop one bag off...My flight was delayed for 3 hours but I was not permitted to check in...
And so on.
This certainly reflects the experience I had flying to Istanbul last week - BA check-in queues at LHR Terminal 1 were impossible to navigate, and the 'fast' bag drop was held up by a lack of staff.
Security was a breeze in comparison.
I recommend you have a quick look at the site - it's a good idea from an innovative company, and the delay league tables are interesting reading.
Nathan Midgley, web producer
Nathan Midgley
