Fewer Heathrow services despite new runway
The government has given the green light to a third runway at Heathrow, so you might expect this to lead to more flights and a reduction in prices.
But, in fact, there are likely to be fewer domestic services from the airport and higher fares.
The Civil Aviation Authority has increased the landing charges to airlines using Heathrow and Gatwick, and these extra costs are likely to be passed on to the customer.
The charges to airlines (and, in time, customers) rise from next April by almost 16 per cent to £11.97 per passenger at Heathrow and by 8.2 per cent to £6.07 per passenger at Gatwick.
The money will supposedly be used to improve service at the airports, but the airlines are skeptical about that.
Not surprisingly, the CAA has found that an increasing number of travellers are avoiding London and flying all the way to their final destinations from local airports. More than 100 million passengers used regional airports last year – nearly three times the number in 1990.
Some are even using airports outside Britain, such as Amsterdam Schiphol or Paris Charles de Gaulle, to connect to long-haul flights.
What’s your view of Heathrow?
Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore
Monday, January 1st, 2007
My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the UK Ferry Tickets web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
