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Passengers to UK keep travel plans unchanged

Since the expose of a terror plot targeting aircraft flying between UK and the United States was made public last Thursday, passengers have been concerned about information dissemination.

"We have not received any cancellation of bookings for holiday packages to London but we did receive many enquiries, primarily clarifications about the security requirements at the London-Heathrow Airport. But our volume of travellers to the UK are not affected," said George Siton, travel executive at Al Nabooda Travels.

Cecille Santos of Concord Travels and Tours said their bookings for UK-bound flights have been normal. "Except for one customer who requested for an earlier return flight to Dubai. Airlines too have not reported any cancellation or disruption of flights. What we had to do was inform passengers that there may be some delays when they reach London because of new stringent security procedures," she said.

Aamir Shah, manager of the Holidays Department of London Travel and Tourism, said they had two clients who have cancelled their London trip and asked that they be re-routed to other European destinations. "Despite that, we still receive fresh bookings for holidays to the UK," he confirmed.

Shah said that the new security policies at UK airports mostly affect passengers who travel with family since they would be carrying more items on board.

"The inconvenience of going through security checks won't usually affect business travellers who carry light baggage. But those travelling with children might find it a bit of a hassle because they need to bring more essential items with them," he added.

Shah also observed that as far as their flight bookings are concerned, they did not receive any cancellations from their European customers.

"This may be due to the fact that Europeans plan their journey well ahead of time and they research the destination, as well as the immigration and security procedures before they go through."

Meanwhile, in accordance with the UK Department for Transport's increased security measures, all passengers departing on flights from the UK or transferring between flights at a UK airport will be required to check-in their hand luggage as hold baggage, with immediate effect and until further notice.

The UK Department for Transport has issued a list of items, which may be carried onboard. This list is available on www.dft.gov.uk.

Airlines here have earlier informed their passengers of possible delays at UK airports. A spokesperson for the Dubai carrier, Emirates airline, said "they continue to operate flights to and from the UK and the US, although passengers can expect delays due to the additional security measures at airports. Passengers who are connecting through UK airports for onward European, international and UK domestic destinations are advised to check their travel plans with their local Emirates office or travel agent."

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have likewise requested their passengers to regularly check their respective web sites for updates.

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