Travellers queue at security at Heathrow Airport in London. AP
Travellers queue at security at Heathrow Airport in London. AP
Travellers queue at security at Heathrow Airport in London. AP
Travellers queue at security at Heathrow Airport in London. AP

Heathrow promises hassle-free half term, despite strikes


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Heathrow has promised passengers a hassle-free journey over the half term break, which coincides with another series of strikes.

The west London airport said no flights will be cancelled during a walkout by security officers from Thursday to Saturday, when many families in England and Wales will fly abroad for the school holiday.

The world’s second busiest airport said that during previous strike periods, most passengers waited less than five minutes for security, and almost all waited less than 10 minutes.

Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, said: “Passengers should not be concerned about strike action by Unite [the union] over the half term getaway.

“The 15 days of strike action over the Easter peak and coronation weekends have had no impact on the smooth running of the airport, and passengers have not noticed any difference from the normal great service they expect at Heathrow.”

Heathrow has offered staff a 10 per cent pay rise and a £1,150 lump sum with a guarantee of an inflation-linked increase in 2024.

Mr Holland-Kaye, who will step down later this year after nine years as the boss of Britain's biggest aviation hub, said staff want a vote on Heathrow’s pay offer, “but Unite won’t let them”.

Heathrow Airport chaos in summer 2022 – in pictures

“These strikes are completely unnecessary,” he said.

“We made a generous 10 per cent offer early on, to make sure colleagues got a substantial increase when they needed it most.

“Unite’s delays mean non-union colleagues as well as the majority of colleagues who are union members, who voted to accept our previous offer, are losing out.”

Unite previously said its members have been “crystal clear they are seeking a substantial permanent increase in pay”.

Earlier this month, Heathrow Airport warned that the return of passengers through its terminals may already be levelling off, rather than overtaking pre-pandemic numbers.

Demand for air travel surged after the UK’s travel rules were scrapped but it has flatlined compared with pre-virus levels in recent months.

About 6.4 million passengers travelled through the airport in April.

Heathrow said: “There are early indications that passenger growth may be levelling off, with recovery now stable at 93 per cent – 95 per cent of 2019 levels across each of the first four months of this year.”

In April, Heathrow announced it made a loss in the first quarter, blaming fees set by the regulator as it posted a 74 per cent annual increase in passenger traffic.

It recorded 16.9 million passengers in the first three months of the year, a substantial increase over last year’s pandemic-affected numbers.

Yet it posted a £139 million ($173 million) adjusted loss, saying fees had been set “too low”. It has launched an appeal against the passenger fees, which it had been ordered to lower for airlines using the UK airport.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Strait of Hormuz

Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.

The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.

Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.

HOW TO WATCH

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  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

THE SPECS

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Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

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SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

Sonchiriya

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan

Four stars

Updated: May 22, 2023, 9:25 AM`