Calls London Airport "Appalling"

It was not what you'd call a ringing endorsement. Incoming Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford had some choice words for the airport serving the city he's called home for almost 10 years.

Commenting on his time spent in London, Clifford -- a former mining executive -- added his voice to the chorus of passengers criticizing delay-prone Heathrow International Airport.

"I have to say, I think Heathrow is appalling," Clifford said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. "I hope Terminal 5 will make a difference, but it's not about the physical infrastructure, it's about how you manage it."

And that's where Heathrow falls down in the minds of travelers. Aging facilities have hindered growth at the busy airport, just as more passengers than ever are streaming through the European gateway -- leading to long lines for security and passport control, and lost luggage.

Many expect the nearly-completed Terminal 5 will take some of the burden off Heathrow's overcrowded gates. As ANN reported, the new home of anchor carrier British Airways is scheduled to open in March 2008, and it's hoped Terminal 5 will handle some 30 million passengers a year.

As Heathrow attempts to cope with its increased business load, Clifford says he'll have to adjust to life back in Australia as an airline CEO, after years at mining giant Rio Tinto.

"I'm very much a new boy as far as Qantas goes," Clifford said. "When you're selling a service, it's what happens from the moment you step out of the cab to the moment you step into the cab.

"Most of the frustrations that people endure don't happen in the aluminium tube (plane) ... it's the total experience that counts in the airline business."

Clifford comes to Qantas as the airline prepares to accept two new, high-profile aircraft... the Airbus A380 superjumbo, and Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

FMI: www.qantas.com, www.baa.com/t5, www.heathrowairport.com/