BA says “no delay to service quality targets”

British Airways is urging the Civil Aviation Authority to stop BAA delaying the introduction of improved customer service quality targets at Heathrow by up to two years. The airline is providing evidence to the CAA at oral hearings on the current BAA airport charges review that start on Monday January 28, 2008.

As part of the current review, the Competition Commission recommended that the CAA strengthened BAA's service quality regulations in key areas such as the central security search area, security control posts and transfer search areas.

BAA wants the delay to enable action plans and measurement systems to be set up before many of the new targets are introduced and to fund additional work to deliver acceptable service standards in these areas.

Paul Ellis, British Airways' general manager airport policy and infrastructure, said: "It appears that BAA is paying lip service to customers' needs and will only take real steps to improve service quality when forced to do so by the regulators. For passengers to continue to experience the Heathrow Hassle for another two years because BAA hasn't got its act together is unacceptable.

"Many of the areas identified as needing better targets affect flight punctuality. Delays at security control posts mean that, on occasions, catering is late being loaded on the aircraft and even our flight and cabin crew don't get to the aircraft on time.

“Airlines have been highlighting punctuality problems to BAA for more than two years so it's had ample time to plan for improved performance levels and invest in the infrastructure necessary to deliver them. We believe that the technology exists now to develop measurement systems and airlines have already made proposals to BAA on ways to reduce delays."

The CAA as regulator has to decide whether or not to allow BAA to delay the introduction of new service quality regulations.

Paul Ellis said: "The CAA's role is to create an environment where a monopoly supplier is forced to act in a competitive way. A competitive company wouldn't be able to rely on previous failures to invest as an excuse for not being made accountable for service quality improvements."