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Heathrow need 25,000 staff
In the ongoing saga of Heathrow and their inability to run their airport properly post-pandemic, today they made an astonishing claim of needing up to 25,000 staff recruited to run the airport smoothly.
While T5 has been running relatively well recently, T3 still has some horrendous security queues at times, even for Premium security. How the CEO John Holland-Kaye still is in position, I have no idea. Even Manchester Airport has managed to improve dramatically!
The cap on passenger numbers will still be removed from 30 October. However, it could come back in some shape for Christmas. Heathrow say,
We are working with airlines to agree a highly targeted mechanism that, if needed, would align supply and demand on a small number of peak days in the lead up to Christmas. This would encourage demand into less busy periods, protecting the heavier peaks, and avoiding flight cancellations due to resource pressure.
Heathrow claim that passenger demand is down 25% on 2019 with 60 – 62 million passengers predicted this year but given that they themselves restricted numbers, I don’t see how they can claim that demand is down since they are not saying how many would have flown with no cap.
I suspect this is more posturing to claim they need to increase passenger fees as they are still battling with the CAA for what they are allowed to charge for the next regulatory period. They also claim that it may be some time before passenger numbers return except at peak periods, which is in contrast to many travel companies which predict that numbers should be back to pre-Covid within the next 18 months.
Heathrow say their priority is to build back the airport “eco-system” to meet demand at peak times. I would have hoped after 10 months since they first announced they were recruiting that they were already close to that now.
To do so, businesses across the airport need to recruit and train up to 25,000 security cleared people according to the airport’s statement. Heathrow estimated that 20-25,000 left during the pandemic (I suspect a lot of them were made redundant). Previously they said that they needed 10-15,000 for summer 2022. I would assume they now mean they need a total of 20-25,000 new staff but you would assume that they have already recruited most of the 10-15,000 staff that they announced they needed last December.
It all sounds like Heathrow trying to justify their poor performance and make out they need more staff than they actually do. Heathrow regularly release press statements designed to present their position in a certain way to justify their performance or their need to charge much higher fees so I take the figures with a pinch of salt.
UK Border Force staff strike threat
There are a number of votes for industrial action going on which will affect Heathrow, but a larger strike threat may be brewing with UK Border Force staff voting for industrial action. The ballot is over pay with workers unhappy with the 3% pay rise offer and demanding an 8% rise due to inflation.
The vote is due to end at the end of October. Unions must give 14 days notice of any strike. However, the union is apparently considering a “longer period” of strike action over the Christmas and New Year period.
While they would still have to maintain a presence at the airport during a strike, it is likely that there would be extremely long queues were this to happen which could have a knock-on effect to flights if passengers are unable to disembark.
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11 comments
Quite how putting up prices of passenger duty fees will improve an atrocious service I would like John Kaye to explain! Recruiting staff with decent terms and conditions will improve service. Putting a limit on passenger numbers will very obviously DECREASE revenues from airlines AND passengers.
There are constant claims from the travel industry that we will be back to 2019 numbers “next week” but every single time this is proven not to be the case; otherwise, why would BA have a seat sale immediately following a seat sale? Qatar similarly. Why do hotel chains have bonus buy points schemes every month? There are NO indicators that numbers are rising significantly and the likes of John Kaye and his colleagues around the UK need to swallow the poison that their pot was decimated during the pandemic and they jolly well have to have the managerial ability to build it up again; likewise for BA. They don’t. So they need to move on and appoint managers with the correct vision and ability.
Meanwhile the hotels are all in it together, price fixing, and charging us £800 – £900 + a night which is thereabouts a 50% premium on pre pandemic rates. Of course, they are milking it in as the country is flooded with tourists taking advantage of the weak £!! To them our prices of goods and hotels are a bargain! How about a foreign tourist tax on hotel rooms – a sort of Cuban experience (not that Ive been there!)?
I shall as I promised, report on whether BA have or have not reintroduced a full J service, on Wednesday when we fly to BNA…….
The vast majority of the issues are down to lack of staff. Hotels are choosing to sell less rooms but charge more to keep the same profits but as you say overseas visitors are buying them as the pounds demise helps them. Meanwhile with train strikes as well trying to get a 4* hotel in London under £250 a night is tricky. Eventually the market will correct itself when they get enough staff but in the meantime Brits are being priced out of the market.
I flew to LHR from Lisbon with BA on Monday, a 2h15m flight, and we had to wait 2 ¾ HOURS for our luggage to be delivered (at 00:50 in the morning). Interspersed occasionally with lies about “due to the weather” “arriving shortly” etc. An honest employee told us it was simply due to lack of staff. Infuriating…
Wow that is crazy. I must admit that for once in my life I’m trying to fly hand baggage only most of the time.
Travelled through T5 four times in last 4 days and chatted to security staff a couple of times. They seemed to think that retention of staff is also a major issue as the level of abuse being received by them isn’t worth it when other jobs are readily available. Bit of a vicious cycle I guess as reduced staff means bigger queues means more abuse which means less staff etc…
Interesting to know. I can’t understand why people would take it out on them although with so many new staff there have been instances of them being very pedantic which I can see why people would get angry if they have been waiting a long time.
I flew out of T5 LHR yesterday and spent over an hour in security in fast track! I managed to keep my cool but it wasn’t easy given the number of security staff standing around gossiping rather than doing their job.
Wow that’s a long time. I’m guessing it could be half term related.
I flew out of LHR T2 on Monday and it took 1:10 to pass through fast track security. To begin, only one of four lanes was open then the scanner on that lane was deemed faulty and it took them an age to open another one while staff just shouted at passengers who were concerned that they would miss their flights that it wasn’t the problem of security staff. Of course there is now no where to leave any feedback.
Over the course of this year, I’ve seen no improvement at LHR in terms of performance at all and I also don’t understand how Holland-Kaye is still in a job because he’s not managing anything, he’s presiding over something which is a disgrace.
If they need to recruit workers they will need to recognise that post Brexit they will have to recruit in South West London, a fairly affluent area and people won’t work for the minimum wage and they will need also to compete on terms and conditions as well as paying more. I doubt Holland-Kaye has to intelligence to recognise that. On the other hand, Lidl is fully staffed in the patch.
Interesting article, I appreciate honesty not sponsored blogs. Well done.
Pre pandemic the business strategy of LHR (and appalling BA) was to maximise profits by cutting costs to the bone. This ncluded salaries, conditions,and the customer experience. The worm has turned in every respect, no contigency planning, mis management at all levels, and key personnel who are out of their depth. Reads well.
I flew from T3 2 weeks ago – no priority line open (its what I pay for), under staffed, and queues. Not acceptable. Then my previous 2 trips through LHR (July, Sept) resulted in my bags remaining on the plane, no information, no support at LHR, just wait 90 mins and work it out for yourself. Fill in lost luggage forms and put them in the unmanned cubicle along with a few thousand others. Shocking.
It makes sad reading, but our major airport, and flag carrier, are in such a mess from pure greed and incompetence. I never fly BA anymore, but cant avoid LHR.
This sort of CEO of the Heathrow is working for 20 min sometimes at security as security officer to show passengers that he is around and he cares in reality this guy is extremely manipulative,like he’s pretending giving away his three months salary during pandemic just to not look stupid in eyes of people who lost jobs at Heathrow or working for peanuts comparing to his £65,631 a month salary after tax or 3000 British pounds a day guy is Master manipulative,on that level and salary Heathrow should be run as best airport in the World unfortunately there 99% people complaining Staff passengers it is hell to work there and being a passenger is nightmare best advice for all is to avoid that place as a passenger as well avoiding being employed there horrible place modern slavery for Board of Directors!!
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