The UK’s Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, has launched the report, ‘Improving the Air Passenger Experience’.

Ruth Kelly, the UK’s Transport Secretary, has launched a report – ‘Improving the Air Passenger Experience’– that details the need for airports to improve the service that they provide to passengers.

The airport at the centre of the report is Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers and handler of 85% of the UK’s long-haul flights.

It was found that the average flight departure delay at Heathrow has increased 27% over four years, from 15.9 minutes in 2002 to 20.2 minutes in 2006.

Ms Kelly stressed however, that the report focuses on all aspects of a passenger’s air travel experience – including the journey to the airport, check-in and security queues, and arrival and departure times – and that ‘it is not simply the flight that matters’.

She stated: “If you travel from London to Frankfurt for instance you will spend about 90 minutes in the air, yet the whole journey from one city-centre to another takes about five hours.

“This is the first study of its kind which shows where delays occur, who is accountable and how they can be reduced or eliminated. This will not only give travellers an efficient and more reliable journey – it will also help Heathrow maintain its competitive edge in global aviation which is good for the entire UK economy.”

Ms Kelly noted the improvements that Heathrow was making which would have a significant impact for passengers, and is writing to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to discuss the passenger travel experience further.

To view the report in full, visit: www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/airports/improveairpassenger.pdf.