The busy Easter weekend in the U.K. is being viewed as a test run for the 2012 Summer Olympics, as officials figure out how to deal with the expected influx of airline travellers who will be descending on major airports.
A letter signed by 11 major British airlines was sent to Home Secretary Theresa May, warning that airports could see major backups this weekend due to the heavy volume of holiday travellers, and a lack of preparedness.
More than 370,000 passengers will leave Heathrow between Good Friday and Easter Monday while Gatwick will handle 200,000.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and EasyJet were among the 11 airlines that signed the warning letter. They said a lack of staffing at customs booths, coinciding with the return to 100 per cent passport checks, will result in chaos.
The airlines warned the staffing shortage will cause overcrowding and delays going through passport control, which will lead to gridlock in baggage claim areas and may even end up delaying planes from taking off or landing on time.
And unless changes are made quickly, the situation will only get worse in the leadup to the Olympics.
Leon Chasteauneuf, an aviation and airport management consultant who served as a terminal manager at both Heathrow and Gatwick Airoport, said the Easter weekend should be viewed as a valuable learning experience.
"I think the border agency needs to learn from this weekend's experience and see how they are able to cope because it's clearly a very busy weekend in London and the U.K. in general and we need to use this as a measure of how we can cope with the run-up to the Olympics later in the year," he told CTV's Canada AM.
Chasteauneuf said the British Airports Authority has a fine line to walk. While officials must strive to flow planes and passengers through the airports as quickly and smoothly as possible, security must be the first priority.
Controversy arose last year after the U.K. Border Agency relaxed security checks at times of peak travel in order to speed up the flow of passengers and avoid gridlock.
An earlier letter was sent in March by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, BMI British Midland and Easyjet, warning Transport Secretary Justine Greening that air travel around the Olympics, which begin at the end of July, would quickly turn into chaos unless the airlines' warnings were heeded.
"As the situation currently stands the industry believes that there is a significant risk of severe delay and disruption at all of London's major airports unless urgent action is taken," stated the letter, which was dated March 15.
The airlines and air traffic controllers have been calling for more flexibility and the authority to prioritize larger airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick over smaller airports, during peak demand periods.
Without that ability, they say, a security event or the arrival of unexpected adverse weather, and even the interference of TV helicopters could effectively shut down a major airport, leading to chaos, headaches, and international embarrassment.
"Failure to respond leaves the U.K. vulnerable to the type of major disruption that will cause significant reputational damage and would be foolhardy and reckless," the letter stated.
