The power of a bad airport
In the Financial Times, Christopher Adams reports on British concerns about a badly functioning airport: London?s status as one of the world?s leading financial centres risks being undermined by excessive delays at Heathrow and the airport?s sprawling layout, the new City minister warns on Monday. In her first interview in the role, Kitty Ussher has ...
In the Financial Times, Christopher Adams reports on British concerns about a badly functioning airport: London?s status as one of the world?s leading financial centres risks being undermined by excessive delays at Heathrow and the airport?s sprawling layout, the new City minister warns on Monday. In her first interview in the role, Kitty Ussher has told the Financial Times that the government shares business concerns about queues at passport control, the effect of security measures and the airport?s set-up. Calling herself an ?advocate? for business in government, she spoke of the unhappiness felt by executives at the so-called ?Heathrow hassle? and the miserable experiences they have suffered. In frank criticism that reflects mounting government concern, she voiced fears that multinational companies could question the rationale for holding annual or other important meetings in London. ?I want multinational companies to feel really confident about housing their annual general meetings here,? she said. ?They often have it in a different financial centre every year, or board meetings, that kind of thing. I don?t want their New York or Dubai executives saying ?Oh God, I don?t want to go through Heathrow?. I don?t want that to be an issue.? She said of the airport: ?You spend so much time being processed. That?s the issue... passports, security, just the layout of the buildings which makes it more difficult.?I understand Ussher's concerns, but if a bad airport really drove away that much business, the city of Miami would desolate wasteland. Still, this prompts a question to readers -- in terms of lines and general disorganization, what's the worst airport you've ever experienced? Has an airport been so bad that you actually altered your future tavel to bypass it?
In the Financial Times, Christopher Adams reports on British concerns about a badly functioning airport:
London?s status as one of the world?s leading financial centres risks being undermined by excessive delays at Heathrow and the airport?s sprawling layout, the new City minister warns on Monday. In her first interview in the role, Kitty Ussher has told the Financial Times that the government shares business concerns about queues at passport control, the effect of security measures and the airport?s set-up. Calling herself an ?advocate? for business in government, she spoke of the unhappiness felt by executives at the so-called ?Heathrow hassle? and the miserable experiences they have suffered. In frank criticism that reflects mounting government concern, she voiced fears that multinational companies could question the rationale for holding annual or other important meetings in London. ?I want multinational companies to feel really confident about housing their annual general meetings here,? she said. ?They often have it in a different financial centre every year, or board meetings, that kind of thing. I don?t want their New York or Dubai executives saying ?Oh God, I don?t want to go through Heathrow?. I don?t want that to be an issue.? She said of the airport: ?You spend so much time being processed. That?s the issue… passports, security, just the layout of the buildings which makes it more difficult.?
I understand Ussher’s concerns, but if a bad airport really drove away that much business, the city of Miami would desolate wasteland. Still, this prompts a question to readers — in terms of lines and general disorganization, what’s the worst airport you’ve ever experienced? Has an airport been so bad that you actually altered your future tavel to bypass it?
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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