Thousands of Brits stuck at Heathrow as e-gates fail again October 6, 2021 Thousands of people were stuck queuing today at Heathrow airport after the e-gate system encountered issues for the second time in two weeks. The Times reported that bottlenecks lasted up to four hours, with passengers saying that more than 3,000 people were queuing, because e-gates were not functioning properly and there were insufficient members of [...]
Holiday-goers could fork out as much as £105m on airport drop-off fees next year October 1, 2021 Holiday-goers leaving the UK could fork out as much as £105m in airport drop-off fees once traveller numbers return to pre-pandemic levels, according to new research. Most of the country’s busiest airports charge such fees, with the average cost standing at £3.54 – while Heathrow is set to introduce a £5 fee from November, the [...]
Heathrow vs airlines: Dispute intensifies over plans to double airport charges September 19, 2021 Airlines have condemned Heathrow over plans to almost double landing charges, in the airport’s latest attempt to claw back losses after the pandemic halted international travel. Long-haul passenger charges will surge from £38.33 per traveller this year to £67.86 in 2022, according to leaked Heathrow proposals first reported by the Telegraph. But airline carriers have [...]
Pre-departure Covid tests may be ditched to simplify travel restrictions September 15, 2021 Ministers plan to make an announcement later this week which will mean vaccinated people arriving into England will no longer be subject to pre-departure Covid tests, according to reports. A government insider told the Financial Times, which first reported the news, that measures to simplify travel restrictions and aid the UK’s struggling travel and tourism [...]
Heathrow now 10th busiest European airport as passenger slump goes on September 13, 2021 Heathrow Airport has this morning urged ministers to streamline the UK’s travel restrictions as it revealed it had fallen to 10th on the list of Europe’s busiest airports. It said that passenger numbers at the airport last month were down 71 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. It blamed the ongoing slump on “ever-changing restrictions, expensive [...]
Hotel quarantine: Ex-BBC journalist leaving red-list Turkey released due to PTSD September 10, 2021 A Syrian former BBC journalist, who had been “imprisoned” in Heathrow’s hotel quarantine after leaving red-listed Turkey, has reportedly been allowed out after suffering post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Three days into the mandatory 10 days quarantine, Zaina Erhaim detailed her experience in the airport hotel on Twitter, saying they had been the worst she had [...]
Heathrow passenger numbers begin to rise as restrictions ease August 11, 2021 The most passengers travelled through Heathrow in a single month since the beginning of the pandemic in July, the UK’s largest airport said today. In total, 1.5m passengers used the airport in July, up 74 per cent on last year. It said that the easing of travel restrictions was beginning to improve consumer confidence after [...]
Travel chaos as Heathrow’s computer system crashes and staff forced to isolate August 3, 2021 Passengers arriving at Heathrow are being forced to queue in lines as long as a quarter of a mile due to a combination of isolating staff and the repeated failure of a new £372m computer system. An outbreak of coronavirus cases among Border Force staff meant that more than one in four of them was [...]
Heathrow warns UK falling behind Europe as losses hit £2.9bn July 26, 2021 Heathrow Airport this morning warned that it was falling behind European rivals because of the continuing restrictions on international travel. The UK’s largest airport said it had racked up losses of £2.9bn over the past six months, as vaccination travel rules and pricey tests continue to hamper the airline industry’s recovery. Passenger numbers remain a [...]
Face mask mandate to stay for airports and flights July 16, 2021 Travellers will still be required to wear face masks after English legal restrictions ease, UK airports and airlines said in a joint statement today. Passengers who refuse to wear a mask will be denied boarding for both domestic and international flights. Children and those with medical reasons preventing them from wearing a mask will continue [...]