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In this age of tightened security at airports across the world, with new security threats emerging on a seemingly monthly basis to throw security checkpoints into chaos and provide travellers with the worst possible start to their time abroad, the last thing those using British airports need is more cause for delay. However, it would seem that, as travellers, that's exactly what we're getting, and for a reason based solely upon exploitation and greed.
A whistle-blower at London's Luton Airport has publicly accused authorities at that particular airport of deliberately encouraging staff manning security checkpoints to allow queues to grow longer, in the hope that passengers will choose to make use of fast-track security lanes, which can cost up to £5 per person.
Luton Airport introduced pay-as-you-go fast-track lanes last year and they have since been introduced in airports including Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, and Bristol. According to the whistle-blower in question, a policy was introduced prior to the start of the scheme at Luton which encouraged staff to make the queues move more slowly and to do whatever possible to try to create queues when traffic through the security checkpoints wasn't at a high level.
With travellers from the UK currently having to arrive three hours before their scheduled departure time to ensure they get through security in good time, these claims, if true, are simply unacceptable.
Although Luton have denied the accusations, there's no doubting that these claims have done further damage to an industry that could do without any further negative news.
Comments - 4
1. Mrs C Mulvaney
17th May 2011 - 12:58 PM
I am lodging a complaint about two things. First I object to paying extra to pass through security quicker..The organisation of security and boarding card checks, by the airport authority, should be able to cater for all the number of passenges passing through at any given time. The system you have is extremely inefficient ( or deliberate, as this article suggests). There should not be any need to install machines to pay to go through quicker..I object in principle to this! Your job is to ensure that you have adequate staff and security channels to cater for all your passengers!!!!
Secondly it is in connection with delays that I am complainimg specifically.....on Sunday afternoon I was shocked to find that there were queues from the stairs from the terminal to the boarding card check and hence onto security. These queues were not several people wide..so not just the lentth!!! I have never seen it so bad..Once through the boarding card check I realised that I may not catch my flight unless I went to the 'front' of the queue..another passenger catching the same flight went to talk with a security person..she said we had plenty of time...However much later and with less than 30 mins before our scheduled departure we were suddenly called to a position nearer the front!!
To add insult to injury a birthday gift, from my daughter to my husband, (We had arrived back from Turkey late the night before and had little sleep and didn't think to ask what the gift was) had to be left with security, as there was NO TIME to go back to check in my hand luggage, WHICH I WOULD HAVE DONE IF YOUR SECURITY HAD BEEN PROPERLY ORGANISED.
Your security chap also kept me waiting despite the fact that I told him I was worried I would miss my flight..and he could have been more helpful with offering to arrange someone to take me through to check-in and back again..but he did not. All he said was that I could check the hand luggage in or leave it behind..I said there was no time to go to check-in..I'd already told him that!!
So what are you going to do about it? before it becomes national and international news what an inefficient authority you are..and then the pressure will really mount!!!!!
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2. Alan Toon
6th Sep 2011 - 12:13 PM
They have more than doubled the on airport parking charges, they where never full before, some short sighted number cruncher. we travel from Luton 6 to 8 times a year but no more we will travel to Manchester where parking is reasonble priced
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3. ian booth
19th Nov 2011 - 04:19 PM
Today Nov 19th, my wife and I flew out of Luton airport. At security we were held up by very rude staff. My wife was wearing a thin T shirt with a short, cropped, thin woollen cardigan over it. The man on security insisted that she remove her cardigan. Other people around were not forced to remove their sweaters, pullovers etc. When she questioned this, she was told that she must remove it. The queue through the scanning machines were growing and almost all passengers bags were diverted for further checks. The same man on securiity then turned to me as I was removing my jacket and asked whether I had already taken off my belt... in the 5 seconds sincee arriving at the desk. He was very abrupt and downright rude.
Meanwhile, after the lady with baby at the front of our queue was forced to empty her baby's half drunk bottle of juice, which took several minutes while eeryone else waited, my wife was getting very cold and embarrassed by the effect of the cold. She had to ask twice, different staff, before a lady evetually agreed to pass her her cardigan back, which had already been scanned, but was waiting in the queue of further checks required.
Eventually, our luggage cleared security, my belongings had been held up while they wiped it with a tissue and tested the tissue for whatever.
Furthermore, the quality of the wiping test was pathetic. I watched closely as the probe holding the tissue was accidentally wiped along the desk where other people's belongigs had been placed previously and also along the side and bottom of the trays holding people's belongings.
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4. Steve Buckley
11th Aug 2012 - 12:41 PM
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