Gatwick Airport Blog

Easyjet worse than Air Zimbabwe

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:12:07 BST

Despite enjoying sustained financial success, Easyjet has been forced to re-evaluate its staffing policy after Gatwick airport released data which suggested that in June, fewer than 50% of the airline's flights took off on time. With Air Zimbabwe managing to achieve 50% punctual departures during the same time, Easyjet is fully aware that it must improve its service whilst maintaining its no frills approach if it is to continue to lead the way for budget airlines.

With the figures suggesting that it is the company, rather than anything else, that is to blame, Easyjet have responded by suggesting that strikes in Europe have affected their performance, with a spokesperson for Easyjet noting that, “There have been 40 strikes so far this year. We are disproportionately hit because most of our flights go over the affected airspace, late-arriving aircraft meant knock-on effects on the schedule.”

In spite of this argument, Easyjet will be bucking the trend and looking to recruit more staff in order to improve its performance, with Easyjet’s staffing decision coming while BA continue to endure a long running dispute with the Unite union over job cuts. Should this attempt to improve its performance fail, the company may start to come under increasing pressure from other low cost airlines such as Ryanair, the likes of which will not hesitate to point out poor performance figures.

With this year being particularly difficult for all the major airlines with the ash cloud as well as the continuing recession affecting passenger numbers, Easyjet won’t be alone in hoping for a more successful year in 2011.

'Tweet your concerns,' says Gatwick

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:26:39 BST

Gatwick Airport has stepped into the digital age with its second website design in as many months, and a new initiative that encourages travellers to ‘tweet’ their concerns to the @gatwick_airport Twitter address.

The scheme is a pilot (no pun intended), and part of the airport’s £1bn renovation plans, which will see the Sussex hub transformed over the next few years.

Gatwick’s Twitter address will be advertised around the airport, with the slogan, ‘are you on Twitter? Get in touch, and let us know about your experience at Gatwick today.’

Bosses claim that its new social networking initiative will provide customers with a more ‘human and personal’ experience, and allow service staff to respond to complaints ‘there and then.’

A quick glance at the @gatwick_airport page reveals that staff are answering questions regarding a number of issues, including directions to the airport, security, and future expansion plans.

The website is also encouraging frequent flyers to register with its IRIS rapid arrivals system, which scans the unique patterns in travellers’ eyes.

Complaints are common, though rarely more serious than a broken air conditioning unit, or a particularly miserable EasyJet team. The airport has pledged to monitor the web page 24hrs a day, referring to it as a ‘response tool.’

A recent press release on Gatwick’s website suggests that officials are pursuing greater integration with social networks, possibly extending to Facebook or even smartphone applications in the future.

Of course, if the Crawley hub’s experiment with Twitter is a failure, then bosses may have to look at other ways to address customer concerns.

Monarch introduce new summer flights from Gatwick and Manchester

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:57:14 BST

Holidaymakers who fly from Gatwick will be celebrating the recent news from Monarch Airlines regarding extra flights from the Sussex airport.

On July 18, a brand new route to Palma in Majorca started up, and soon services to Sharm el Sheikh are due to be increased as a result of customer demand. Monarch did not previously offer flights from Gatwick to Palma although 20 flights a week to Majorca were on offer from the airline from Birmingham, Manchester and Luton. The new Gatwick service will operate three times a week.

Thursday flights to Sharm el Sheikh, one of Egypt’s most popular Red Sea destinations, start on Sept 9 and will run for seven weeks, in addition to the five Gatwick flights a week which are already available from Monarch to the resort.

It is also good news for passengers flying out of Manchester. An extra service to Gibraltar is being offered every Sunday from Sept 12 to Oct 31 to supplement the 10 flights which already operate to the destination from Manchester and Luton.

A new terminal at Gibraltar airport is to open soon, which is more good news for passengers: the airport is used not only by visitors to the British overseas territory but also by travellers to southern Spain.

Bookings for all three destinations can be made online and prices start at just £42 for a one-way ticket (inclusive of all taxes) or £68 return.

Monarch operates both charter and scheduled flights to 50 destinations and carries over 6.5 million passengers each year.

Shuttle launched by astronaut

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:32:22 BST

Gatwick’s new monorail service has been launched, two months ahead of schedule. The airport’s owner, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) has called the shuttle’s launch, ‘the first major milestone’ in the airport’s £1bn renovation.

The original shuttle was decommissioned in September 2009 to allow for the replacement of two ancient trains, and replaced with a temporary bus service. Since then, every inch of the monorail’s track has been refurbished, and both terminal stations have been given a modern facelift.

James van Hoften, a former astronaut, was at the monorail’s launch party. Mr. Hoften clocked up more than 300 space hours in his seven-year NASA career, participating in missions with the Discovery and Challenger space shuttles in the early eighties.

The astronaut echoed GIP’s sentiments by saying – ‘the monorail is one small step in our plan to make Gatwick a great airport that passengers love to use.’

Gatwick's new trains, which were hauled into place earlier this year, are fitted with CCTV cameras and advanced ‘sensory technology,’ allowing the train to count the number of people that are waiting for its arrival.

The carriages also have more seats than their predecessors did, and provide greater accessibility to disabled travellers.

GIP wants to challenge Heathrow and Stansted for a greater share of London’s travellers. The firm has already rebranded the airport in its own image, stripping the British Airport Authority’s colours from its website in June, and dropping the word ‘London’ from its name.

The investment fund has also bought into London City Airport, and the waste management company, Biffa.

GIP to transform Gatwick

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:35:03 BST

Gatwick Airport owner, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), has unveiled a £1bn plan to revamp the Crawley hub. The investment fund claims that almost every aspect of Gatwick’s operation will be redeveloped over the next two years, from branding to entrance forecourts and departure lounges.

A recent press release on Gatwick’s website suggests that the overhaul will begin with the unveiling of a new airport shuttle in July. The shuttle, which has been on ice since an older model was decommissioned in September, cost £45m to replace, and should decrease travel times between the airport’s terminals.

Self-service machines at security desks, a variety of new shops, and an expansion to the hub’s north terminal make up the majority of the changes, but the GIP has a number of tiny projects and ‘gestures’ planned for the future, such as a renewed commitment to customer service. The airport will also drop the word ‘London’ from its name.

Gatwick bosses have embraced a new initiative by the coalition government, which will see the airport focus on service rather than the size of its runways. The South East Airports Task Force will attempt to make the three London airports more efficient, reducing queuing times and improving the reliability of aircraft.

Stewart Wingate, chief at Gatwick airport, called the GIP’s investment a ‘milestone’, adding ‘the airport has long been recognised as a friendly and enjoyable place to travel. It’s by building on these qualities and investing in new facilities that the airport will go from strength to strength.’

Gatwick is also set to benefit from a new flight to Cancun, Mexico, courtesy of UK flag-carrier, British Airways. The route, which begins on the 3 November 2010, will operate twice a week, flying direct to the resort. EasyJet has also given Gatwick a boost, by unveiling a new flight to Gothenburg, Sweden.

Gatwick flood defence is ‘vital’

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:31:06 BST

The Environment Agency has begun the construction of a £15m flood defence system in an effort to protect Gatwick Airport from ‘major disruption’.

The Sussex airport was inundated with flood waters in 2000 when as the nearby River Mole burst its banks, forcing the closure of a road running beneath the hub’s south terminal.

Flooding is a relatively rare occurrence at UK airports, and bosses prefer to spend their cash on battling terrorists or extending runways into the surrounding countryside. Problems can arise very quickly, however, as torrential rain can cause localised flooding in areas without any rivers or streams.

Crawley was flooded in 1968 and 2000, but the Environment Agency didn’t take much notice until 2008, when a care home for the elderly had to be evacuated. 47people, including a 101-year-old woman, were displaced during the night.

The agency, which is run by the government, has since created the Upper Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme to reduce the threat of flooding in the West Sussex region. A dam on Tilgate Lake will have its capacity increased and three ‘flood reservoirs’ will be created in the Crawley area.

Contractors are bidding to have the scheme completed within the next three years. Ian Tomes, risk manager at the Environment Agency, called the scheme "vital", stating that flooding is "very destructive and could cause major disruption to the whole region", making it "vital we do everything we can to reduce the risk".

In related news, Global Infrastructure Partners’ (GIP) takeover of Gatwick appears to be finally complete after the firm redesigned the airport’s website. GIP has ditched the colours of former owner BAA and branded the site in its trademark blue and white, similar to the investment fund’s own homepage.