Passengers at Heathrow face zero tolerance
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Passengers at Heathrow airport's glittering new terminal, which opens three months from today, will face a tough new zero-tolerance policy: be in the queue for security at least 35 minutes before the flight or count as a "no show".
British Airways, the sole tenant at Terminal 5, is seeking to improve its woeful punctuality. Even without the kind of disruption seen at Heathrow and Gatwick before Christmas, BA's operations routinely fail the airline's own modest targets. For the week ending 16 December, fewer than one in three flights departed on time, compared with a target of 52 per cent.
It is believed to be the first time, at any airport, that an airline has taken such a hard line on passengers who have already checked in. The only exception to the 35-minute rule will be travellers on standby, who get an extra five minutes' grace to allow for the fact that their seats are assigned only after check-in formally closes at "minus 45".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments