§ Lord Fearnasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are being taken to improve facilities, especially for families with children, for welcoming visitors to English airports. [HL3814]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonTwenty-one United Kingdom airports, 16 of them in England, and 10 United Kingdom airlines have so far signed up to the Voluntary Commitments on Air Passenger Rights which were launched at a Council of Europe ceremony in Strasbourg on 14 February. These contain non-legally binding commitments to deliver defined standards of service to air travellers and will assist in ensuring that visitors to English airports experience a consistently high standard of service.
The Airport Passenger Service Commitment covers 11 areas, with signatories agreeing to provide assistance to persons with reduced mobility; display passenger information on legal rights; provide assistance during periods of significant delays or disruption; improve airport access and ground transportation; provide appropriate infrastructure for check-in, baggage and security; regularly maintain equipment; ensure that sufficient trolleys are available; provide clear way-finding and staffed information 25WA desks; keep all public areas clean at all times; ensure that customer comment and complaint procedures are clear and effectively managed; and produce regular consumer reports on levels of passenger satisfaction.
The Airline Passenger Service Commitment covers 14 areas and a number of these concern passenger service in airports, with signatory airlines agreeing to notify passengers of known delays, cancellations and diversions; assist passengers facing delays; deliver baggage as quickly as possible; provide assistance to passengers with reduced mobility and passengers with special needs; take measures to speed up check-in; reduce the number of passengers who are involuntarily denied boarding; and be responsive to passengers' complaints.