UK Ferry Tickets

UK travellers are so fed up with long queues and security checks that they are deserting Heathrow and Gatwick in favour of regional airports.

The Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that only 43 per cent of UK passengers used the main airports last year, compared with 57 per cent five years ago.

Of course, five years ago it wasn’t possible to use many of the regional airports because they didn’t have the services to Europe and beyond that they have now.
But there’s no doubt the thought of passing through a small, quiet airport without endless queues is increasingly attractive to travellers.

Stansted, which is busy by the standards of many regional airports but still a breeze compared with Heathrow and Gatwick, has increased its number of passengers by 75 per cent in the past five years, from 13.6 million to 23.7 million per annum.

Tony Hallwood, an executive at Bristol Airport, said that bad experiences at Britain’s busiest airports simply played into his hands.

"Our passengers know they can be in and out within half an hour," he said.

International transfer traffic through Heathrow and Gatwick has also dropped off. Passengers who once would have connected through London now prefer the relative tranquility of changing aircraft at Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris.

The opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 next March is expected to ease overcrowding and improve the airport experience for passengers.

Do you prefer regional airports to Heathrow and Gatwick?

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007