New Gatwick owners pledge lower fares and end to queues
Gatwick's new owner will pledge to slash passenger queuing times after completing the £1.5 billion takeover of London's second airport, the Standard has learned.
The proposed takeover is expected to lead to huge expansion of the airport, opening up the prospect of lower fares and more destinations for millions of people in London and the South-East.
An outline deal was unveiled today by BAA, which has been forced to break up its monopoly of the three major London airports.
Gatwick's new owner, investment group Global Infrastructure Partners, which also owns London City airport, said that it wants to end the West Sussex airport's status as the "poor relation" of Heathrow through massive improvements to customer service.
Full details will not be announced until the purchase is finalised in December but a source told the Standard that cutting queues through security will be a top priority.
The source said: "We intend to bring the same ambition and discipline that we already brought to London City. There we have a no-queues policy, the longest are three minutes at most.
"We can't promise that at an airport like Gatwick but there is no reason why we can't apply the same principles." Queues at Gatwick have been reduced over the past two years, in part because of fewer people flying in the recession, but the airport still has a grim reputation during peak holiday seasons. One aviation expert said: "It shouldn't be difficult to improve the passenger experience because it's dire at the moment."
Some travel experts expressed scepticism that GIP, a joint venture between US industrial giant General Electric and investment bank Credit Suisse, will be able to make a huge difference.
Bob Atkinson, of travelsupermarket.com, said: "I question whether the new owners have the experience to give customers what they want at Gatwick.
"Whether GIP can adapt to an entirely different market is to be seen. Rather than business passengers travelling on scheduled flights, Gatwick predominately offers chartered flights to holidaymakers. Main concerns centre around queues at security and check-in, as well as delays. We will be watching how GIP works to improve these."
The major budget airlines welcomed the new owner but warned that aviation regulators must not allow GIP to increase fares at Gatwick to pay for new investment and called on Stansted to be sold off too. Easyjet chief executive Andy Harrison added: "Regardless of who owns Gatwick, it is still a monopoly. It is vital that Gatwick is properly regulated to protect airline passengers."
Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary said: "This is as the first step in the muchneeded break-up of the BAA airport monopoly and restoring competition and customer service to the airport sector."
