UK airports start to introduce premium service charges
By Darren Cronian on Monday, November 24th, 2008

It seems that airports have started to implement the low-cost airline business model to boost their profits and charge passengers for so called premium services. Passengers using Luton airport, from next year, will be offered priority lane security checks with tickets costing £3 per passenger.

UK airports start to introduce premium service charges

Surely, rather than charging passengers to speed up their security check experience they should be looking to deal with the issue of slow security checks. It is a worrying trend, which has seen some airports charge £1 for the use of baggage trolleys and nominal fee’s for toilet usage.

Improve the service, not charge for it

It seems to me that if the airports can think of a way to charge passengers for a service that should be free, they will. If airports add ‘priority lanes’ won’t it mean that the rest of us will have less space to queue, meaning longer queues.

If the service we received in the airports was good then we would not have a problem paying for premium services, but the fact is security checks and passport control in the UK are a slower than a lot of other countries.

What’s next?

Will we start to see priority lane for baggage reclaim and passport control or will we have to pay to reserve a seat in the departure lounge?


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4 responses to “UK airports start to introduce premium service charges”

Andrew | 24 November, 2008 at 6:20 pm

Completely agree with the points made here. It is not a good time at the moment for the aviation industry with some airlines either going bust or on the brink, a weak pound, a recession underway and now airports introducing these types of charges. Will more people be put off flying and perhaps seek alternative holidays? This is a very short sighted move from the airports who are introducing such charges!

Zaheer E N | 25 November, 2008 at 6:45 am

I disagree on the statement that UK has slower line.
I travel extensively and a sure that lines in India and in the US are much slower.
At the same time I don’t think a 3 pound service fee is going to make it better, as a majority would opt for it, thereby crating a bottle neck on those lines.

Murray Harrold | 25 November, 2008 at 8:36 pm

Activities at Luton Airport really take the biscuit. In any normal situation, if there are long queues for something, any sane person might say “Ah! We are not efficient, let’s employ some more people” What happens at Luton? We have the airport saying “Ah! Long queues, I can identify a way of fleecing people, here” To make people pay £3 on top of what one may already be paying in UB tax, no doubt the airport will reduce the number of people working in the “normal” channel and put lots of people on the pay channel to make it look more attractive.

It stinks, it’s not right and Luton Airport should be ashamed of making money out of something like this. Even the chronic BAA have not stooped this low.

Gareth Thomas | 25 November, 2008 at 9:08 pm

Not sure if this counts as a “premium” service, but until recently BMI Baby would let you choose your seat when you check in online (you could also pay to reserve at time of booking). This service is no longer free and if you don’t want to pay extra you just have to take what you’re given.

Lately on my Cardiff to Edinburgh flights it has been pretty quiet so you can sit where you like anyway!

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