BAA Fined For Security Queues

[bealine]

Now we know what happens to your Security Taxes - the money goes back to the government when it fines the BAA for its queues!!!

BAA fined £1.1m for checkpoint delays



Frustrated airline passengers queuing at security checkpoints can console themselves with the knowledge that Britain's main airport operator is being fined more than £1m for keeping people waiting.

BAA, which operates seven British airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh, yesterday admitted that congestion at checkpoints across the country had become far worse this year because of tighter rules on scanning electronic items in luggage.

The company has a target of getting 95% of people through security within 10 minutes. At Heathrow and Gatwick this target is enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority, reported The Guardian.

Although BAA achieved its benchmark last year, figures published yesterday revealed that BAA's performance has collapsed since the beginning of the year. At Heathrow's Terminal 4 just 47% of passengers got through within 10 minutes last month.

Shortfall

At other terminals, the figure ranges from 63-78%. The shortfall will mean a fine of £1.1m imposed by the CAA.

A BAA spokesman said the problem was down to a government rule introduced with little notice which requires travellers to remove laptop computers from their bags before going through security.

He said: "The change has had an impact on us. The queues are now going down - but these figures reflect the fact that they are quite long."

If too many electronic items are in a bag, the x-ray image becomes distorted. This is causing increasing difficulty as many travellers cram laptops, palmtops, iPods and mobile phones into their hand luggage.

There has also been a change in packing behaviour. Encouraged by low-cost airlines which levy a charge on hold luggage, travellers are carrying much larger suitcases into the cabin of aircraft.

BAA said it was recruiting an extra 150 security guards at Heathrow alone.

[Globaliser]

Good! Serves them right.

[Bangkokeasy]

A step in the right direction. It is at least heartening that someone is watching this situation and prepared to act.

The statement by the BAA rep smacks of codswallop though. First he blames the government, then the poor suffering SLF.

For the government, the fact is that security screening methods will change from time to time, according to the level of threat. BAA must plan to operate under any level. The current screening provisions at UK airports are not the most stringent I have seen and BAA need to be prepared for higher levels, should the situation change.

As for SLF, BAA can't legitimately complain about the number of electronic items. This is not a new phenomenon in 2006 and it affects all pax in all airports - just deal with it. And what was that about changing packing habits for SLF on locos???? The main problems are at Heathrow, which is served by how many locos exactly?

[Mr @ Spotty M]

It is funny that both LHR & LGW are BAA airports and last month when l went through LGW and said do you want my lap top out, they said "NO".
Due you think it is the old saying "the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing"?:uhoh:

[bealine]

Does no one see the whole farce being played here, or is it just me?

1. Security Tax is paid by all Travellers and collected by the Government

2. This Cash then is given to the BAA

3. The Fine is Collected by the Government as a Punishment for inconvience to the Traveller.

4. This Cash goes from the BAA back to the Government


It is the Traveller who has been inconvenienced by the BAA!

The BAA has been punished

Who Gets the Recompense? Ah - The Government of course!

[ExSimGuy]

Flown out of LGW and LHR equally often. LGW is far faster. (and they do have more locos!)

"Laptops out" - I'm used to it as US has been doing it for quite a while - doesn't seem to cause a problem there.

"All the carry-on electronics" - I want my mobile to call when I arrive to arrange pickup. CD/MP3 player for departure lounge, baggage "long wait" and if I don't like the movie(s) on the flight. Plus tiny camera, Flash stick etc. However, the printer (I carry a "mobile office!) is packed securely in my "checked" in the middle of a bunch of clothes for extra padding!

Not that I actually use the laptop in flight, but I don't trust that (and the data on it) to the "handlers" (human/mechanised) of baggage!

BAA - you've a job you're paid to do, you make enough out of "so-called duty-free sales" - don't whinge!

[Big Tudor]

This is causing increasing difficulty as many travellers cram laptops, palmtops, iPods and mobile phones into their hand luggage.
So it is the passengers fault for complying with the instructions issued by security staff, i.e. all electronic items should be placed in your hand luggage! :mad:
Security is becoming ridiculous at airports, and not just in the UK. I recently had the misfortune to pass through CDG, 400 pax trying to pass through a single security post! Do security departments not realise how many pax large aircraft can carry, or do they think it is just a good idea to take lunch/coffee breaks at the same time as all the pax are trying to get to the departure lounge?

[radeng]

Went through the Fast track at T1 at LHR last Sunday with a colleague. His laptop in a small bag on its own - didn't need to take it out.

But personally, I'd like to see the MD of HAL and his deputy and his security chief and personnel manager (I don't accept the pretentious term 'HR') all fired for their incompetence!

Publicly hanged as well, but maybe that's going a bit too far.....

[10secondsurvey]

Radeng,

Public hanging for these clowns responsible would get my vote. I go through European airports a hell of a lot, and I regularly witness unbelievable chaos at security checkpoints. Not all airports are as bad, but it seems to vary.

Whilst perfect passengers who do everything right might help, the reality is that this is a service industry. The punters all have varying ideas and experiences of airports. Some passengers have never been in an airport ever before, and find the whole environment (including security) bewildering. But this is well known, and the security should be such that it can deal effectively and efficiently with slick business frequent flyers as well as confused, bewildered first time flyers. Not everyone spends their time reading pprune or checking they know the security procedure at every airport within Europe/the world. the same scenarios are played out in other service industries, and those other industries cope very well indeed.

One airport I went through last week was a joke from a security standpoint, the staff were all stressed, and unable to keep track of the people going through the metal detectors. It was a farce.

It is only a matter of time before some nutter takes advantage of these serious lapses, and does some serious destruction to a major airport.

It is time the relevant regulatory authorities woke up, and told the likes of BAA to get their act together, and stop blaming everybody but themselves.

Failing that, as redang says, public hangings of BAA management may just do the trick.

[bealine]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=223843

[radeng]

LHR security could usefully learn from Arlanda T2 staff, who are fast and efficient. They even found a pair of tweezers that I'd lost down deep in the side pocket of my bag, and since they weren't too sharp, let me keep them.

[PAXboy]

Rather than start another thread, I thought that I would 'drift' this one slightly.

We've been talking about the various changes in regs that mean you must have your jacket/coat X-rayed. On Wednesday 17th, I attended a meeting in a committee room in the House of Lords [Westminster, London]. Presenting myself at the appropriate entrance, I prepared for the security screening by removing my jacket to place it in a bin on the belt, along with the usual assortment of keys and phone. "Please keep your jacket on, Sir!" was the instruction.

So ... BAA are told to X-ray everyone's coats and jackets but, when entering the Mother of Parliaments, they must only go through the magnetic hoop? Sure the jacket and it's owner were given a full 'pat-down' but I had to stop myself from giggling at the contrary rules.

Oh yes, I was also ordered to switch of my mobile phone immediately and before I entered the main building. As soon as I entered the main building, I saw that everyone was using their mobile phones. :hmm:

[Beagle-eye]

Really ticks me off to arrive at airport and be greeted by queues at security but only 2 security channels open whilst the other 4 remain shut (e.g. Edinburgh most early morning flights).
Assuming that these clowns are paid minimum wage it would costs BAA around £25 per hour for each additional security channel that it opened. In the scheme of things it is very little. They obviously don’t give a :mad: about their customers and are quite happy to have us wait in line like sheep for however long it takes.

[Skipness One Echo]

Over and above all of this is a climate of fear that it creates. Government has already enacted great amounts of totalitarian legislation.
Be afraid.
Take your jacket off.
Open your laptop.
Give me those tweezers.
Now bend over.......:ugh: :ugh:

[WHBM]

It is a complete nonsense to refer to passengers taking 1 hour to get through security.

It is not 1 hour at security at all. It is 30 seconds being checked for security, the same as always happens, and 59.5 minutes standing idly in a queue waiting to be dealt with.

[RevMan2]

What SHOULD happen is that the Government withholds Security Tax for those passengers who AREN'T processed with the target range AND whacks BAA with a penalty....

[Skyflier]

I agree with this - can't help but think that due to the incompetance of BAA and the current government's incompetance and paranoia that the terrorists have won. They don't need to risk their own safety any further, Blair and his cronies are doing their jobs for them. These 'controls' are causing chaos every day, costing us a fortune while we stand in lines wasting time. I would like to start billing BAA for my time while I wait in their queues.

To compound matters, the sad lost souls at BA (et al) advise us to check in earlier so that we can stand in queues - have they lost the plot completely? Do they think their customers have nothing better to do. Why aren't they screaming from the roof tops about poor service? I haven't heard a single word of protest from them as LHR's largest customer - just advice to check in early - misconcieved or what??

Organising security ought to be relatively simple, BAA have failed miserably. Organising effective immigration controls ought to be simple too, what happens, we all stand in lines for hours to have our passports scanned and in the meantime the idiots we elected are releasing prisoners who ought to be deported.

How long is it until we have an election??