AIRPORT REPORT: GATWICK
Currently there are two security areas, one on the ground floor and a
second on the first floor, a situation that causes both confusion for passengers and inefficiency when processing them, says James. The new layout will have one consolidated security area stretching
5,900sqm, with 22 lanes including two ‘special assistance’ lanes designed specifically for families and disabled users. Two fast track lanes for frequent flyers will have biometric passport readers for speedy processing. “If you’ve got a family, no matter what you do, inevitably you have more
gear and you will slow the lane down. Stuck behind that person could be a frequent flyer thinking they have chosen the wrong lane. In our assistance lanes we say to passengers with buggies – would you like to use our assistance lane, people working on that lane are fully are prepared to deal with families,” explains Wingate. The changes are already bearing fruit, says Wingate, with the airport’s
North Terminal hitting its target of processing 95% of passengers in five minutes or less for the first time. “Our security lanes this year achieved all standards statistics to ensure
queues of five minutes; last year the airport failed and we had to pay a rebate to the airlines. This is the first year we’ve attracted a bonus and the fundamental reason is that we are getting better service levels, not brilliant, but better,” explains Wingate.
Also in the South Terminal, Gatwick is partnering with Norwegian
Airlines to trial its new ‘test lab’ check-in desks. These are equipped with new LCD screens and a set of self-service kiosks. Wingate explains that the idea is to get the check-in agent out from behind the desk, and says results so far have been very encouraging. The trials have been so successful, that Delta Air Lines is now looking
into the possibility of introducing its own test labs in the North Terminal. The UK Border Agency’s (UKBA) ‘rabbit warren’ of desks and
workstations have been replaced with an open plan office, giving UKBA officers a more comfortable and efficient working environment. They say first impressions are important and Gatwick has taken this to
heart with its plan to remodel the entrance of the South Terminal. In the current set up, passengers enter the terminal through a maze of
confusing monkey bridges, lifts and walkways. To improve passenger orientation, express elevators will take them from the car parks and drop off points into a spacious €34 million central plaza. A new integrated baggage handling system will automate baggage
processes, allowing check-in staff to assign bags at any gate to any flight for the first time. Going hand in hand with the structural changes at Gatwick has been a complete rebranding of the airport and a media campaign to reflect its new identity.
AIRPORT WORLD/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2010 31
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