Airports get ready for strike chaos
UK airports are warning of delays and disruption this week when immigration officers go on strike over pensions.
Heathrow said passengers could face delays of up to 12 hours and warned of a possible “gridlock” on Wednesday when public sector workers will take industrial action.
It said passengers on arriving flights might have to stay on board because queues will be so long, which could mean aircraft backing up and the need to divert flights.
UK airports operator BAA has been drawing up contingency plans with airlines and the Government to try to minimise the disruption.
Gatwick Airport COO Scott Stanley said it has been urging airlines to encourage their passengers to rebook in the days immediately before or after the 30th November.
“We would advise passengers to check with their airline to find out what plans and arrangements have been put in place,” he said.


“We recognise that this will be a challenging time for all airport passengers, and we would warn passengers to be prepared for the potential for significant disruption at the border zones.“
He said all non-essential work and meetings have been cancelled, hundreds of volunteers have been drafted in and all staff and managers will be out in the terminals providing information, refreshments and advice to passengers.
“We will keep our passengers informed of developments through a number of channels including the media, our website and Twitter,” he said.


by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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