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How operators cope...
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Page 78
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PASSENGERS embarking on a flight have to decide how to get to the airport: and the many advantages in using public transport. Often, too, they need transport within the col of the airport. At Heathrow two bus companies are engaged in passenger movement.
London Transport has 391 departures from Heathrow Central bus station on weekdays, 350 on Saturdays and 290 on Sundays. The bus service network is spread out to many suburban destinations and London's West End.
Leyland Nationals are operated on the majority of these routes and offer a halfhourly service to central London.
British Airways are another major bus operator at Heathrow and their European Division operates a five-minute headway service to the Cromwell Road air terminal. For this journey Routemasters are used. The Overseas Division uses Atlan
teans on a service to the Victoria air terminal.
British Airways operate 37 Routemasters and 21 Atlanteans to service the terminals.
Inside the confines airport British Airways op fleet of 73 single-deckei these include conven vehicles and "airside ye the latter being used sal movement of passenger! the aircraft to ther tei building. As these are USE on site' '.they are not cc to psv regulations anc been substantially modi have large entrances and large number of sta passengers. This is air promote quick trans. passengers on short runs Altogether some 20 t trailer buses are operate trailer vehicle has a ye step height from the rum
line Leyland National buses used internally and some of e have the entrance at the t of the vehicle so producing ialf-cab'' effect.
he other single-decker as include 24 Bedford VAL, Leopards, three AEC Swifts two Bedford Willowbrook s. There are also 12 Leyland iers and seven Bedford VAS several Ford Transits and e are in the main used for :w buses-,
Vith the increasing use of bos the demand for rapid efficient transfer of engers between the aircraft terminal buildings has !together British Airways a fleet of approximately )0 vehicles of which 2,500 based with the Ground Dort Equipment Division at hrow.
ihyte's Airport Services, ialist coach operators, have n of some 95 coaches, four buses, five Transit vans and ral private cars for use at :hrow and surrounding . They have been in 3tion for some 16 years and to act as a back-up service 3 other major operators. I the coaches are Ford D as these stand up well to :ontinual stop/start work. company has tried others ling Bedford, AEC and Leybut says these cannot offer 0,000-mile reliable life he Fords are giving. together Whyte's em150 drivers. One reiment is that all coach rs hold a psv licence, so
24-hour shift system can .erated.
. airport staff are not ed to park their cars in the 31 area there is a special car two and a half miles away, )e north side. A threete bus service is run be1 the car park and the terbuildings.
reign 'airlines are the main of Whyte's services, both lirside' and terminal side :ngers. With transfer ngers who have landed re continuing their journey baggage is collected from st aircraft and transfeirred next one by small gas-1 Mercury tugs pulling ge trailers.
Dther service that Whyte's s that of taking the various crews to their hotels at row and London.
ier airlines, for example h Caledonian Airways 'an American World ays, operate their own services, but these are not in such a large scale as British Airways. Some European airlines operate a mixed but small fleet of vehicles using some produced in their own countries and others produced in the UK.
Because parking facilities are at a premium all coaches are directed to a special park after setting down the passengers and there they wait until being called to a terminal building pick-up point to collect fresh passengers.
To assist travellers from London to either Heathrow or Gatwick several major airlines have check-in facilities in the Victoria area and from there coaches take the passengers to Heathrow (British Airways charge E1 per passenger for this service) or British Rail to Gatwick. This is a popular arrangement. For example, 1.2m passengers used the British Airways terminal at Victoria last year.
Birmingham airport now has a capacity of 1.8m passengers and not only is it situated adjacent to the new National Exhibition Centre but it is only 10 minutes by train from Birmingham New Street Station. It is also well served by West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive buses from the city (hourly express) and Coventry (half hour).
It is now possible to fly from Birmingham Airport to North America or to Greece so this airport is becoming increasingly popular to holiday tour operators. In the main these companies either operate their own fleet of coaches or charter from local coach firms.
Travel to Stanstead airport, four miles from Bishop's Stortford, can be a little difficult as passengers must travel to Bishop's Stortford and then make their own way using an irregular bus service or local taxis. Car parking facilities at the airport, are, however, good. There are no regular airline buses although certain charter operators provide this service. Glasgow airport, not to be confused with Prestwick, is served by a coach service from Glasgow city centre every 20 minutes. It is two miles from the nearest railway station, Paisley Gilman Street, and a taxi to the airport is necessary.
Prestwick airport is served by British Rail from Glasgow, being on the main line to Ayr. The journey takes about one hour and trains run at half-ho intervals. Alternatively there is airline coach service from t Anderston Cross bus depot Glasgow and this is run connect with scheduled flig arrivals and departures. There also a half-hour local bus servi from Glasgow.
Surprisingly there is no reg lar direct link between Prestwi and Edinburgh except o airline coach service which ru each morning.
To many disabled perso who have reservations about travel British Airways have worldwide reputation f looking after the needs of th disabled. They can accommo date all foreseeable problem and make arrangements for an specialised help before, durin or immediately after the jour ney.
With the development of th airports continuing and the us of more covered walkways passenger movement, particu larly to aircraft, will becom even more pleasant — but th problem still remains in gettin to the airport. The bigger th airline and airport then the bet ter the service is, but unfortun ately this problem will never b completely solved.