WORDS CHRIS CRAUFORD


GUEST COLUMN


RAISING THE RAIL STANDARD


Heathrow Express has plans to upgrade its offering for business travellers in a bid to stay ahead of the game as the airport expands its capacity


T


HIS YEAR, HEATHROW EXPRESS cele- brated 20 years of service and we’re looking forward to at least ten more years of “Welcome aboard”. Over two decades, customer


service has been central to our product and brand identity, often being rated top in the National Rail Passenger Survey. Travellers choose Heathrow Express from a range of options for connecting with Heathrow and with the arrival of the Elizabeth Line in 2019, we know we need to raise our game again to encourage passengers to continue to choose the fastest way. This is nothing new for Heathrow Express as every day London-bound passengers choose between Heathrow Express, the Underground, taxis and, more recently, private hire apps, such as Uber. But in our 2017 Business Traveller Survey, we found business travellers rated speed as the most important factor when it came to making transfer choices. So we know being 15 minutes between Heathrow Central and London Paddington is a real USP.


EXPANSION PLANS


Our offering of excellent customer service and a fast and reliable airport link is also key to Heathrow’s plans for sustainable growth. An expanded Heathrow will have the capacity to welcome 50 million more passengers to its terminals each year. Half of them will use public transport to travel to and from the airport by 2030. As the only transfer service offering Business First car- riages with work tables, plenty of legroom and luggage space, power sockets, wifi and 4G mobile coverage even in tunnels, we


continue to make it easy for people working while on the move. We’re also looking at new ways to deliver the service and provide conveniences passengers want by trialling an onward travel service which offers one ticket for a Heathrow Express journey and a luxury, chauffeur-driven car from Paddington to the end destination in London. The ambition is to offer this service using a fleet of electric or hybrid cars. Next year, a new fleet of specially con- verted trains will form our business class experience for years to come, complete with at-seat power, improved wifi, com- fortable seating, dedicated luggage space and a spacious environment.


Chris Crauford is head of commercial, Heathrow Express


BUSINESS TRAVELLERS RATED SPEED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT


FACTOR WHEN IT CAME TO MAKING TRANSFER CHOICES


buyingbusinesstravel.com


CONNECTED BOOKING SYSTEM Business travellers and travel buyers also value convenience when booking, so we work with TMCs and GDS systems to improve the booking experience and, with our API, connect partners to the Heathrow Express booking system so that they don’t have to leave their site. This also offers access to all our fares and the ability to receive commission.


Being relatively new to the Heathrow Express team, having joined from the airport, it’s clear to me that 20 years of ex- cellent service provides a good foundation for continuing to serve business and leisure travellers alike as part of Heathrow’s future rail strategy.


2018 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 113


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123