§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will state the average time taken to-day, travelling by the various means of transport available from the centre of London to the actual time of boarding an aircraft at London Airport; and how long it takes the majority of passenger aircraft to travel from London Airport to the airports of Edinburgh, Belfast, Paris, Bonn, Antwerp and Rome.]
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, it takes about 50 minutes to travel from Piccadilly Circus to Heathrow by motor car and about 60 minutes by Tube and bus. The Airlines require passengers to check in at the Airport long enough before the scheduled time of departure to enable their baggage to be loaded and the various formalities completed. The time allowed for this varies between one airline and another and between one service and another. Typical times, however, are 45 minutes, in the case of a long-haul international flight, 30 minutes in the case of a short-haul international flight, and 20 minutes in the case of a domestic flight. Passengers travelling by airline coach, who have already checked in at the Town Terminal, generally reach the Airport 30 minutes before the scheduled time of departure.
The flight time varies according to the type of aircraft. Typical flight times from Heathrow are 1 hour, 30 minutes, to Edinburgh; 1 hour, 30 minutes, to Belfast; 1 hour to Paris; 2 hours 10 minutes to Bonn; 1 hour, 5 minutes, to 106 Antwerp; and 2 hours, 20 minutes, to Rome.
§ LORD BOSSOMMy Lards, while thanking my noble friend for that information, it does strike one as being rather absurd that it takes longer to get from Piccadilly Circus to the Airport than it does to get to one of these places. Is it not upside down? Could not this matter be rearranged?
§ LORD DENHAMMy Lords, the length of time it takes to get from Piccadilly Circus to the Airport is not longer than the time it takes from the Airport to Rome, because there are the various formalities at the Airport. But I shall be giving a fuller Answer to this point when I reply to my noble friend's second Question.