Airport operator criticised over delays

Under-fire Airport operator BAA has been told that delays at the British airports it runs are "unacceptable".

The firm was criticised in a report from the Competition Commission, which was launched following long waiting times at Heathrow and Gatwick during the summer.

The report said: "They have failed to manage security queueing and queue times to avoid unacceptable delays to passengers, crew and flights and consequently have not furthered the reasonable interests of the users of Heathrow and Gatwick.

"We consider that these effects adverse to the public interest can be remedied or prevented by the extension of the existing conditions and/or by the imposition of new conditions."

Among the weaknesses identified by the report over BAA's handling of security queues was the failure to impose a maximum queuing time and potentially? substandard security check procedures for transfer passengers.

As part of proposals unveiled by the Civil Aviation Authority this year it was recommended that security queues should be no longer than ten minutes.

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