World airport facts: on a world-wide scale just how big and busy are UK airports?

The following infographic by FHR looks at how UK airports compare to the rest of the world when it comes to passenger traffic and size. FHR specialise in travel services including Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester Airport Parking.

Reading facts about the world’s largest airports, it is hard not to scan statistics to see how the UK compares to other nations in the world.

At first glance, the UK appears to be small fry compared to certain countries. In terms of passenger traffic numbers, the UK only has one airport in the top 30 list of busiest airports (the US has 13).

And if size really is everything, then it’s a shame to learn that the world’s largest airport (King Fahd in Saudi Arabia) at 780km2 is an incredible 64 times larger than Heathrow (the UK’s busiest airport).

However, looking at the bigger picture, it should be a matter of some pride that London serves as the largest aviation hub in the world; over 130 million passengers were handled in London’s five major airports in 2009.

Busiest airports in the world by passenger traffic

The UK has only one airport in the top 30 list of busiest airports ranked according to passenger traffic numbers – but its only entry did finish very high up the list.

During 2010, Heathrow Airport served 66 million passengers. This ever-popular London airport had ended the previous year as the second-busiest airport but has been overtaken by second-placed Beijing Capital International Airport (China) and third-placed O’Hare International in Chicago, United States.

As the passenger number figures have varied quite considerably over the past few years, it is not impossible that Heathrow could again climb the rankings.

The world’s busiest airport…

But the Hillingdon-based airport will have some way to go to overtake the world’s busiest airport – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International; a place which served 89,000,000 passengers last year.

Was Hartsfield so busy because people, perhaps still inspired by the 1996 Olympics, are flocking to see the sights of Atlanta? With all due respect to the city’s citizens; perhaps not! Atlanta owes its success to being a major hub for travel throughout the South-Easter United States and is the primary hub of Delta Airlines (the Delta Hub is the world’s largest airline hub).

Busiest UK airports

So what chance have UK airports got of gate-crashing the top 30 list and keeping Heathrow company?

London Gatwick is knocking loudly on the door of the top 30; it had over 31 million passengers enter its departure and arrivals lounges in 2010 (just shy of 30th busiest airport Munich’s 34 million passengers). London Stansted and Manchester are battling it out for the title of third busiest UK airport with 19 million and 18 million passengers respectively.

London airports account for four of the top five as London Luton finished fifth in the list. Edinburgh (sixth), Birmingham (seventh) and Glasgow (eighth) are reminders that there are airports outside London in the UK.

All of the top 15 airports suffered a decrease in passenger traffic in 2010 with Bristol International (up 1.9 per cent in 9th place) and Liverpool John Lennon (up 2.7 per cent in 10th) being honourable exceptions.

The History of the New York to London Air Route

London to New York is one of the busiest air routes in the world today and has a long and proud history stretching back into the early years of aviation. The New York to London transatlantic air crossing is one of the most famous routes in the world and has been graced by such legendary aircraft as the Boeing 707 and Concorde in its time. In its heyday, the London-New York journey was synonymous with the rich and famous who liked to travel in style. Today the route remains fiercely competitive, as the world’s leading airlines vie to offer the best combination of service and value.

History of The First Transatlantic Flights

One of the first major milestones that the pioneering aviators of the early twentieth century attempted to set was the first non-stop transatlantic flight. This crossing, which is the ancestor of the modern New York to London route, was first achieved in June 1919 by John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown between Newfoundland, Canada and Clifden in County Galway, Ireland. Less than a month later, George Herbert Scott made the trip in the opposite direction, albeit in an airship rather than a plane. Amelia Earhart’s transatlantic crossing in 1928 was the first by a woman but marked the end of an era of record-breaking aviation.

Although many people associate the golden age of transatlantic flight with the 1950s and 60s, the first commercial passenger plane service between England and the USA began in July 1939, with a seaplane route between New York and Southampton. The development of civil aviation was disrupted by the Second World War it was the late 1940s before regular services resumed. However, the war was to usher in an entirely new generation of aircraft, as well as numerous experimental vehicles, that were to have a profound impact on the future of commercial airplanes.

Passenger Service Develop

Passenger jet services commenced in 1949 but it wasn’t until October 1958 that Pan American created the first commercial jet service between New York and London . The adoption of the cutting-edge Boeing 707 the following year allowed for non-stop crossings and within months wealthy Londoners found themselves warming to the potential of regular flights to New York. Throughout the 1960s, air travel was largely the preserve of the rich and it was around this time that phrases like “the jet set” began to enter the vernacular, reflecting the luxury status of aviation during this period.

To many enthusiasts, Concorde represents the very peak of the transatlantic aviation experience. The distinctively-shaped supersonic airliner flew at twice the speed of sound and cut flight times from London to New York to a little over three hours. Concorde entered commercial service in 1976 and was the flagship aircraft for both British Airways and Air France until its retirement 27 years later. It became synonymous with luxury travel and its famous passengers included the British royal family and numerous celebrities throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Supersonic jets aside, the New York to London route has been dominated by the venerable Boeing 747, also known as the Jumbo Jet, for much of the last four decades. This aircraft remains the flagship plane for many of the world’s largest airlines, though it may soon be usurped by more modern competitors.

People Power Chooses Best Airport

E-dreams, the on-line Travel Company, offered Holiday Makers and Travellers the opportunity to vote for their favourite airport. People traveling with E-dreams, one of the largest on-line Travel Companies,  were invited to share their views on airports – with the aim of finding the most traveller friendly environment. Views were obtained from 30,000 Travellers, who completed a Questionnaire, seeking attitudes to categories regarding transport connection links, waiting areas and restaurants. Dubai Airport was voted as the No 1 favourite Airport, based directly on verbal and written feedback from Travellers who had recently used the airport.

“The Dubai Airport won by a large margin,” said eDreams Chief Marketing Officer, Mauricio Prieto. “Many customers commented favourably about the design of the building. They appreciated its modern design concept, functional spaces, and the fact that designers accounted for the real needs of travellers in the new millennium.”

Search Technology enables Spain based company E-dreams, with the ability to provide customers with a fantastic range of holiday packages, stand alone flights and hotel bookings. They are proud of their developing relationship with their customer base and as a leading light for customer care and service.

“All feedback and reviews used to determine the best airports of 2010 came from real customers,” said Prieto. “We collected feedback from 30,000 customers who booked their flights through eDreams to ensure that reviews came from individuals who actually travelled through the airports they reviewed. This enabled us to avoid an open forum for ranting and raving about airports, and filtered users who had real and recent experiences with these facilities.”

Dubai International Airport obtained a 4.7 rating (out of a possible 5). Second Place was awarded to The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and thirdly, the Fuhlsbüttel (HAM) Airport in Hamburg. Categories also included shopping facilities and airport staff such as management at Customs Control.  The Airport is beautifully designed, light and exceptionally comfortable – you can spend hours strolling through the different areas, which have fabulous eateries, designer stores and facilities ordinarily associated with 5 star hotels. A visit to the Airport is seen as an additional bonus to the travelling experience. Each one of these Airports represented the best airport in each of their own continents. Winners in each of those categories can be found at  http://www.edreams.com/

If you would like to see more information about top-rated airports, look out for information at  http://www.edreams.com/flights/airports/best-airports-2010.

Spend Less on Airport Parking

So you are off to Europe on a budget. Extra care needs to be taken whilst planning and paying for your trip and all of its additional, and sometimes hidden costs. The essential holiday extras such as travel insurance, car hire and airport parking to name a few can be expensive if you aren’t savvy. Nobody wants to be left feeling stung at the airport gates, so there are a few tips to consider when booking your important travel add-ons.

Compare the market

Online comparison sites are an extremely useful concept. It is easy to compare airport parking companies and their prices at the click of the button or over a quick browse of the web. Information is displayed clearly, normally in a table, to ensure you get the best deal. With so many companies on the market, prices are competitive so there are some great offers available if you shop around.

Choose carefully

Depending on your departure location, the length of your trip and the number of people you are taking to the airport, there are lots of choices to make when booking airport parking. The majority of UK airports offer on and off site parking, with short transfer buses directly to the terminal but there are additional add ons available such as meet and greet or valet parking. Take Newcastle airport parking for example, there are options available for meet and greet, on and off or long and short stay airport parking, with each having their own features so make sure you choose the option most suitable.

Pre book airport parking in advance

Often overlooked in the run up to departure, pre booking is key if you want to make substantial savings on airport parking. By doing so, you are guaranteed a space close to the terminal, with an option you want whether this be valet, meet and greet or transfers and you can potentially save up to 60% on gate rates. Normally, the further ahead you book your airport parking, the more you can save so make sure as soon as you have booked your holiday, you follow up with your airport parking.

All that remains now is to make sure everything is packed, you have comprehensive insurance and your currency is changed and ready to spend!

Improvements being made at Gatwick Airport

A recent article in a Sunday newspaper began:

“I hate Gatwick Airport. If you want a picture of misery in life, you couldn’t do much better than the South Terminal’s departure lounge on an August weekend — a windowless netherworld crammed with hard-sell shops, overpriced fast food, hideous artificial light and endless din. Waiting for a flight there is like being held onremand at your local Arndale.”

Gatwick is the UK ’s busiest holiday airport — of its 33 million passengers last year, 28m were off on their holidays — is also one of its most disliked. Common complaints include surly staff, long queues, a building site for an arrivals hall and general dinginess.

As one recent user put it: “Gatwick is a third-world airport, shabby, cluttered and falling apart.”

The last straw for many was when management ripped out the small children’s play area. What sort of people process millions of children a year and don’t bother to provide a single place for them to play? A word comes to mind, and you wouldn’t use it when the kids are listening.

So, when a colleague got back from a trip to Mumbai last week and raved about the airport’s family-friendliness, attentive service and smooth efficiency, it was clear something was up. “Gatwick — efficient”? It’s a bit like “Simon Cowell — humble”.

Gatwick Airport – Part of the Holiday

The idea is to change Gatwick Airport into a place that’s part of the holiday, rather than an ordeal to be got through

There is an explanation. The airport changed hands in December, and the new owners — a consortium including, bizarrely, the South Korean national pension fund — have launched a charm offensive. There’s a corporate rebranding, a smiley PR drive, a new chief executive (the irrepressibly upbeat Stewart Wingate, previously boss at Stansted) and, most important, a £1 billion investment plan. The idea is to change the place into somewhere that’s part of the holiday, rather than an ordeal to be got through before it starts. So, how much of this is hype (or one family’s lucky experience) and how much will make a real difference? Last week, I went for a snoop around to find out. Eight months in, it’s mainly small adjustments so far, but they’re making a big difference.

For families at the summer peak, the dedicated Assistance Lane through security is a godsend — attentive staff who’ll lend a hand with the pushchairs and kid about with the children, rather than the stony-faced gorgons we’re used to, and no tutting businessmen jostling behind. It’s helped to cut queues in the rest of security, too — 95% of all passengers are now through in less than five minutes. And the new monorail transit between terminals, which opened last month (the old one had travelled enough miles to go to the moon and back — five times), is whizzier than ever.

There’s also more attention to detail. The airport was a maze of superfluous signs offering hotels, cheap airport car hire and currency exchange: they’re ripping out 500 of them and revamping the remaining ones in clearer colours, which is already making it easier to find your way around. Departure-lounge screens now show the gate opening time, so you’re not taken by surprise when “now boarding” pops up. And until recently, the only breakfast to be had at the North Terminal — used for many early-morning flights — was at Yo! Sushi. Now at least you can get some toast.

As well as all that, they’re making valiant efforts to add a touch of glamour — “Putting some theatre into the place,” as Wingate puts it. Hence the Gatwick Glow, a spray-tan booth for those who don’t want to turn up on the beach looking pasty; the recent Gatwick Factor talent show (the mind boggles); and the current Gatwick Fashion Week, with Lily Cole choosing the winning Gatwick Runway Model.

Which is great, but most people just want to get on a plane, please, and a lot of the old problems remain. For instance, as I stand in departures, there’s an enormous snaking queue of disgruntled passengers coiled in front of the EasyJet check-in desks. What’s the airport going to do about that?

When I ask Wingate, he says he’s got a plan. “We’re trialling a system where you print out your baggage tags at the same kiosks you use to print a boarding card. It’s reliant on the airlines taking it up, but by 2012 you should be able to just hand your bag in at any desk — not just your airline’s — and go straight to security.” In theory, that’ll mean no face-to-face check-in at all, so no queues. In theory.

The check-in hall’s oppressive, lightless atmosphere? Wingate has a plan for that, too. “We’re taking out the black floors, which make it so gloomy, and putting in new cream tiles. And,” he adds, like a proud home-owner clutching a copy of Elle Decoration, “we’re putting in uplighting.” Get him. The tatty disgrace of an arrivals hall is also being upgraded.

Airport shopping

Has he got a plan to rein back the endless zillions of shops — sorry, “exciting retail opportunities”? Er, no.

“People want a quality shopping experience that suits their needs,” he says, morphing smoothly from proud homeowner to slick salesman. As income from shops makes up half the airport’s revenue.  Traditionally departing passsengers have been keen to arrange last minute delivery of flowers, send gifts, buy sun creams and of course browse the latest fashions for high street retailers. There have been rumours that Marks & Spencer could open specialist stores including their ranges latest fashion dresses and ladies underwear and lingerie.

To his credit, a few shops have been ripped out to create a huge new security area that will come on stream for next summer, an effort to cut queueing further. The new upstairs extension to that godawful South Terminal departure lounge is a bit of a letdown, though — a few more seats, a bit less clutter, but still windowless and oppressive.

Gatwick’s never going to be somewhere you’d want to take a holiday in, but it is starting to be somewhere you’d want to take a holiday from. Give it a year or two, and it could even be a pleasure to use. Just one thingniggles. There are no current plans to give kids anywhere to play. Although one staffer pointed out, play areas do exist at Gatwick — in the premium-access lounges. Playtime’s just for posh families.