Govt, BAA plan to cut Heathrow Airport waiting times

The Home Office's UK Border Agency and BAA are set to cooperate on an initiative to cut waiting times at Heathrow Airport.

It was announced that waiting times at the airport's border control areas will be cut to a maximum of 15 minutes for UK and EU travellers, compared to the current level of 25 minutes.

The plan, which follows a similar agreement signed between the UK Border Agency and Manchester Airport in August, will also set out to reduce waiting times for non-EU citizens from 45 minutes to 30 minutes.

Measures to cut waiting times could include the use of displays in arrivals areas giving passengers useful information and the employment of 'greeters' to answer travellers' questions and show them where to go.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith said the agreement will help make the travelling process as fast as possible through Heathrow Airport while ensuring that the UK border remains strong.

Mike Brown, chief operating officer at Heathrow Airport, added: "We welcome any moves to drive down queues and improve the passenger experience at Heathrow, and I am very pleased that the home secretary and the UK Border Agency have signed up to this positive initiative."

Some 1,900 UK Border Agency staff work at Heathrow Airport, which last year handled more than 67 million passengers.

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