London Heathrow strike cancelled as Gatwick hires 400 security staff

2022-07-21

Three-day Heathrow strike is CANCELLED as Gatwick hires 400 security staff to cope with summer rush – but passengers are still stuck in lengthy queues as they try to getaway for school holidays

Families heading off on summer holidays from London Heathrow face lengthy queues at three terminals
Passengers criticise ‘third world airport’ and advise fellow travellers to arrive three hours before flights
But refuelling staff suspended their planned industrial action in dispute over pay at 11th hour last night
The UK’s busiest airport has introduced a cap of 100,000 daily departing passengers until September 11

British families heading off on their summer holidays from London Heathrow today faced lengthy queues at three terminals as the airport chaos continued – but there was a rare glimmer of good news after a strike was called off.

Passengers complained of long waits at Terminals Two, Three and Five as they criticised the ‘third world airport’; described ‘crazy’ and ‘huge’ queues; and advised fellow travellers to arrive three hours before their flight.

But the situation could have been even worse had refuelling staff not suspended planned industrial action in a dispute over pay at the 11th hour last night, which had threatened to disrupt flights from today until Sunday.

The announcement by the Unite union will be a relief for passengers travelling at the beleaguered airport in West London, which has been suffering from delays and caps on passenger numbers owing to staff shortages.

Following months of chaos, the UK’s busiest airport has introduced a cap of 100,000 daily departing passengers until September 11, and pleaded with carriers to stop selling summer tickets in an attempt to cut disruption.

But the Daily Telegraph reported that it has seen a letter from Mark Powell, Heathrow’s director of operational planning, which said a cap of 1,200 aircraft arriving and departing per day could last until October 29.

One passenger tweeted a picture of huge queues at Heathrow today, saying: ‘Forty-five minutes so far in ‘fast track’ security at Terminal Three – not moved at all in ten minutes. Heathrow is a third world airport at this point.’

One passenger tweeted a picture of the ‘queue for the queue’ at Heathrow Terminal Five today but said that it is ‘moving fast’

Anther passenger posted this photograph of queues at London Heathrow Airport to get into Terminal Two this morning

A passenger queuing at Heathrow today tweeted: ‘Let’s just say my trip to Berlin next month I’m picking a different airport’

Queues of people are seen at London Heathrow Terminal Five this morning as the school holidays start to get underway

One passenger waiting in a queue at Heathrow Airport Terminal Three this morning said: ‘Glorious Britain’ LHR T3 right now… Hour plus to get through security and shop closed for business and replaced with bins… This is the definition of irony’

Another said: ‘Gotta love Heathrow trying to drop off a bag. Let’s just say my trip to Berlin next month I’m picking a different airport.’ A third added: ‘Queue at Heathrow airport is huge, better to come three hours before your flight.’

Many passengers flying to and from the Heathrow have suffered severe disruption in recent months, with long security queues and baggage system breakdowns as the aviation sector struggles out of the pandemic.

Gatwick Airport hires 400 new security staff

Gatwick Airport said it has hired 400 new security staff in recent weeks to help ease queues.

Bosses said more staff are being recruited in a move aimed at reducing pressure on the airport as it goes into the busy school summer holiday period.

Gatwick is also trying to increase awareness about placing liquids in a clear bag, separate from hand luggage, to reduce delays at security.

Chief operating officer Adrian Witherow said: ‘With passenger numbers rapidly returning to 2019 levels, we expect to be busy, particularly at peak times such as weekends and the forthcoming school summer holidays.

‘We are doing everything possible to make the airport process as smooth as possible, including recruiting and training hundreds of new security staff, many of whom have already started or will be in coming weeks.

‘It’s also important, however, that we do what we can to help passengers prepare for security before reaching the trays.

‘We understand many already do this, but, by publishing the list of top items that are currently being forgotten, we hope to get even more people through airport security quickly, so they can go on and relax ahead of their flight, enjoy a drink or sit down for a meal.’

The planned strike by Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) employees would have affected Virgin Atlantic, United, Singapore, KLM, American, Emirates, Air France and Delta flights, which use the company’s services.

Unite said that after negotiations held at the conciliation service ACAS, ‘a sustainably improved offer was made and as a consequence Unite suspended the strike action to allow its members to ballot on the new offer’.

Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said: ‘Unite has consistently said that AFS was capable of making an offer more likely to meet members’ expectations.

‘Following the assistance of ACAS an improved offer was made. Members will now be given the time to consider and vote on the new offer.’

The union previously said the workers had not received a pay rise for three years, and in this time their incomes fell by 15.5 per cent in real terms – as inflation is now soaring towards 10 per cent in Britain.

Earlier this month on July 7, Unite said a dispute involving industrial action which affected British Airways check-in staff at Heathrow had also been suspended after the company made an improved pay offer following extensive negotiations.

Reacting to the photographs of large queues today, Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, told MailOnline: ‘We are now firmly in the middle of the peak summer period for travelling.

‘As schools break up, more families are travelling and the next 10 days will see demand to fly at its highest. With staff shortages continuing, queues will continue to build up so do allow additional time to get through the check-in and security processing at the airport.

‘Airports and airlines have quite a challenge on their hands this summer to ensure journeys are as smooth as possible. Let’s see if the Heathrow cap on passenger numbers actually works out.

‘It has caused financial and emotional stress for several million people who have seen their flights cancelled.’

Staffing for ground handling teams at Heathrow is only at 70 per cent of pre-Covid levels, whereas passenger numbers are at 80 to 85 per cent as the peak summer season for international and domestic travel begins.

Children rest on the floor at London Heathrow Airport Terminal Five today as the school summer holidays get underway

A traveller at Terminal Three today said they had spent ’45 minutes so far in ‘fast track’ security’ and not moved in ten minutes

Queues of people are seen at London Heathrow Terminal Five this morning as the school holidays start to get underway

One passenger tweeted this photograph of huge crowds at London Heathrow Airport at 4am this morning

A Heathrow spokesman told MailOnline today: ‘Passenger numbers are higher now than at any time since the start of the pandemic – and growing. We have faced 40 years of growth in just four months and that has put the entire aviation industry under pressure.

US-style background checks for UK visitors

By Alexander Butler for the Daily Mail

Foreigners visiting Britain will have to pass criminal record checks, submit photos and pay £18 under US-style checks.

All overseas visitors will be forced to apply for permission to enter the UK before starting their journey – by obtaining a new electronic travel authorisation (ETA).

Visitors would have to submit their biographic, biometric and contact details to be automatically checked against watch-lists and criminal databases.

This information will be needed for anyone who does not currently require a visa to visit the UK. Those who have previously committed crimes will have their applications reviewed to decide if they should be allowed entry.

The Home Office would be able to bar visitors if they have a jail sentence of more than a year, are persistent offenders, pose a risk of serious harm or where it would not be conducive to the public good.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said last night that the rollout of automated criminal checks would begin in 2024.

Airlines will be required to check passengers have permission to travel before boarding, similar to the US ESTA system introduced after 9/11.

By 2025, it is expected visitors entering the UK with the new ETAs will be able to use e-gates currently restricted to UK passport holders and nationals from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the US. The gates will be extended next year to students with visas.

‘We expect an extremely busy summer season and we’re working hard to ramp-up our operations for the summer peak as quickly as we can and we will have the same capacity in security by the end of the month as we had in summer 2019.

‘Our operating plan is working and the vast majority of passengers have had good, predictable journeys.

‘For the small number who experienced pinch points or disruption at Heathrow we apologise and reassure you we are doing everything we can to ensure summer goes as smoothly as possible.’

Meanwhile London Gatwick Airport said today that it has hired 400 new security staff in recent weeks to help ease queues.

Bosses said more staff are being recruited in a move aimed at reducing pressure on the airport as it goes into the busy school summer holiday period.

Gatwick is also trying to increase awareness about placing liquids in a clear bag, separate from hand luggage, to reduce delays at security.

Gatwick’s chief operating officer Adrian Witherow said: ‘With passenger numbers rapidly returning to 2019 levels, we expect to be busy, particularly at peak times such as weekends and the forthcoming school summer holidays.

‘It’s also important, however, that we do what we can to help passengers prepare for security before reaching the trays.

The announcement comes amid an air travel crisis which has seen thousands of flights cancelled and many passengers forced to wait for several hours in long queues at airports.

EasyJet announced this week that it has recruited 350 new customer service staff and is opening a new call centre in Milan to help ease delays.

The airline will also be stationing head office staff in UK airports to provide additional support to passengers, and has introduced new interactive signage in airports. It will also allow customers travelling on early-morning flights to drop hold baggage off the evening before they travel.

Also today, the Independent reported that KLM passengers connecting at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to other destinations in Europe today were restricted to land luggage only because of a baggage system failure.

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