"Terminal happiness.. whatever the weather"

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Terminal happiness.. whatever the weather 
BY SANDRA DICK 
United Kingdom - The Scotsman


THE information screens and the monotone voice over the tannoy bring more
misery for travellers: flight delays, cancellations, a runway closure. An
impatient queue of passengers, their luggage scattered around their feet,
begins to form at an airline company’s information desk. 

Paul Fitzsimmons looks increasingly uncomfortable. Just as delays and
cancellations are a pain for passengers, they also spell bad news if you’re
Edinburgh Airport’s duty manager. 

His face falls as he hears another delay announcement; this time it’s a
London Heathrow flight that has fallen victim to the snow that yesterday
blanketed the runway - and half of the country - bringing with it upset for
hundreds of travellers. 

Nearby Betty Nuernberg grasps her bag and sighs. She has been at Edinburgh
Airport since 8.30am, in good time for her 10.30am British Midland flight to
Paris. It’s now well after 11am, the flight has been delayed - no-one can
say for how long - and she has no idea if she’s going to make it to France
in time for her sister’s wedding that afternoon. 

"My son decided to travel by train but I said that I’d fly because it would
be quicker. At this rate he’s going to be there well before me," drawls the
69-year-old American, visiting Edinburgh from her home in Florida. "I don’t
want to fly if it’s not safe - but I do want to get going. I’m supposed to
be making a toast at the wedding . . . " 

Betty is gently led away to a check-in desk by a British Midland assistant
who has been trying to book her on to the next British Airways flight. She
smiles her thanks - but there are still no guarantees she’ll be in Paris in
time. 

Her predicament is just one small drama unfolding in what Edinburgh
Airport’s managing director Richard Jeffrey describes as a "theatre stage",
where the 400 staff act as a "cast" bringing "delight" to passengers.
Indeed, the "front of house" staff are actively encouraged to think of
themselves as stage performers, smiling on through the misery of delays and
cancellations, receiving Oscar-style awards for their efforts, while
"backstage" there is a slick team of baggage handlers, operations staff,
airfield crews and air traffic controllers who ensure the show can go on -
despite snow, ice and the occasional delay. 

There is even a terminal character book, Setting the Stage, handed to every
employee, encouraging them to "work with the character of Edinburgh" in a
bid to become the most successful regional airport in Europe. "The most
important thing we can do, to make the biggest difference, is to make our
visitors happy," it implores. 

It may sound a bit "luvvie" - perhaps because the terminal’s manager is
Keira Pearce, whose last job was running the Edinburgh Dungeon - yet
underneath the theatrics is a major shift in management style aimed at
gearing up what has traditionally been regarded as Scotland’s second airport
to take on its Glasgow rival and perhaps even snatch its crown. 

LATER this month Edinburgh Airport will welcome its eight millionth
passenger - the first time it has broken through the magic eight million
figure in a 12-month period and nudging it ever closer to Glasgow’s 8.6
million annual passenger total. 

With sights set on a 30-year masterplan which would see the terminal handle
24 million passengers a year by 2030, a high probability of a second runway
and, much sooner than that, the chance of a £500 million rail connection and
tram links from the city centre, the mood at what was RAF Turnhouse until
being taken over by the Ministry of Aviation in 1960, is buoyant. 

There is talk of more flights offering a greater variety of destinations:
Globespan has just announced plans to boost its Edinburgh flights to
European holiday destinations to 46 per week, Continental is to launch three
extra flights a week to Newark, in the United States, and a new Hamburg
service has just been launched by Hapag-Lloyd Express. 

Today’s airport handles an average of 7.9 million people a year - compared
to 2.7 million ten years ago - to destinations such as New York, Moscow,
Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Frankfurt, Paris,
Prague, Hamburg and Geneva. 

There are further signs that Edinburgh is at a major turning point, one
which could make it the main gateway to Scotland. Eventually, work will
begin on the creation of a further terminal extension and new south-east
pier which will create an additional six gates - there are already 14, plus
28 stands for commercial aircraft - allowing passengers to board direct from
the terminal. 

This summer will see the opening of the new control tower, a futuristic
57-metre high structure costing £10m. A £20m multi-storey car park was
completed in October and just last week a new stretch of runway opened to
allow planes to take off without first performing an awkward, time-consuming
manoeuvre. 

MORE obvious to passengers is a new £200,000 departure lounge information
desk, and, once "airside", a plush upmarket restaurant, seafood bar, a range
of shops, chaise longue seating and plasma screen televisions. And soon the
international arrivals area will be revamped in subtle "thistle" tones and
boarding gates will be designed to reflect the city’s character, with local
stonework replacing dull grey panels and stainless steel. 

"We are also looking at providing more entertainment for passengers,"
reveals Hazel Latto, 29, one of six newly-recruited service delivery
officers - smiling faces aimed at assisting passengers in everything from
pointing out the toilets to answering queries on delays and calming nerves. 

Her role was created in the wake of September 11, as nervy passengers slowly
returned to international travel, tight security checks and long check-in
times. 

"We have seen a huge change in atmosphere since then. People can be very
worried when they come to an airport and my role is to try to assist them
and make it a much calmer and enjoyable experience." 

John McNeil has arrived from St Andrews with daughters Samantha, aged two
and a half, and 18-month-old Victoria to pick up his parents who have
travelled from Toronto via London. Hazel is on hand to talk them through the
flight information - they, too, are delayed - but John, a seasoned
traveller, is well used to finding his way around. 

"I like this airport - it’s not too big and it’s not too small," he says.
"And while it is certainly getting bigger, it’s also becoming more
customer-friendly, it’s easier to park and there is a good selection of
shops and facilities. 

"OK, there are delays and cancellations, but that’s part of travelling.
There are worse places to be delayed." 

The terminal management are already looking at ways of making delays less
painful. "We have been looking at providing a children’s area, for example,
something fun where we can keep the kids entertained and mum and dad a bit
happier. We are looking at introducing local artwork so people know they are
in Edinburgh and relaxation areas with massage chairs." 

Some relaxation might have come in handy for the four rather distressed
women who crowd around duty manager Paul Fitzsimmons, 26, pleading for
information about exactly how they are going to get to Heathrow to catch
their connection to Johannesburg now their BMI flight has been cancelled. 

Unfortunately, despite the upbeat talk of expansion and becoming Scotland’s
premier airport, Edinburgh is no stranger to dealing with delays. New
figures from the Civil Aviation Authority recently showed Edinburgh
passengers are experiencing the worst delays in the UK after Heathrow, with
almost a third of flights experiencing problems. The average scheduled
flight delay now stands at 17 minutes. 

Paul leads the four women to their airline’s information desk. 

"We have a nice, pleasant regional airport but we want to create a unique,
characterful airport that people talk about," he says. "People’s
expectations of an airport now are not what they used to be."


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