Select committee inquiry
Transport's winter resilience: Christmas 2013
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“Further information Terms of reference”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What the government said
The government responded on 12 September 2014.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response.
The Airport Operators Association (a trade body, not the government) agrees airports should develop contingency plans with airlines but does not agree that regulatory oversight is necessary, and disagrees with Government intervention on welfare costs.
- On contingency planning, it will "continue to encourage" good practice through the AOA Operations & Safety Group in developing plans to manage flight cancellations and disruption.
- On Passenger Champions, it agrees they "may be appropriate at some airports" but believes the CAA should focus on effective provision of information rather than a single means, and that "one size fits all solutions should be avoided".
- On passenger welfare, it says costs are "best agreed between airports and airlines without Government intervention", in response to the Committee's recommendation that the Government review the issue.
- It says a joint working group with the CAA will review how airports provide information during disruption, and that it will re-visit and update its snow planning survey "later this year" for winter 2014/2015.
Read the government's response ↗ Read the report ↗ Report an error
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 3 January 2014 to its close on 14 July 2015.
- Oral evidence 7 Jan 2014
- Report 11 Apr 2014
- Government response 12 Sep 2014
What it recommended 7 recommendations · 5 conclusions
1We expect Gatwick and the relevant airlines to respond to the people who contacted us,...
Concluded (the committee's words)
We expect Gatwick and the relevant airlines to respond to the people who contacted us, addressing the points they raised, and to confirm to us that they have done so.
2Many staff at Gatwick, working for the airport, the airlines, and other operators such as...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Many staff at Gatwick, working for the airport, the airlines, and other operators such as the baggage handlers, worked extremely hard to keep flights operating on Christmas Eve and to look after passengers. We acknowledge their efforts.
3Gatwick’s contingency planning failed to deal with the circumstances that arose on Christmas Eve.
Recommended (the committee's words)
Gatwick’s contingency planning failed to deal with the circumstances that arose on Christmas Eve. In particular, the decision to move passengers from the North to the South Terminal had not been well tested. We are particularly concerned by suggestions that the airport’s contingency planning had not properly involved major airlines. Contingency planning at airports should be a collaborative exercise in which airlines, ground handlers and other significant contractors are fully involved. We recommend that the CAA ensure that the airports’ contingency plans have been developed with the airlines and other relevant parties, that the plans are properly tested and widely disseminated.
4It is basic good practice for meetings to be minuted in such a way as...
Recommended (the committee's words)
It is basic good practice for meetings to be minuted in such a way as to identify agreed actions and for those minutes to be shared with, and agreed by, participants. We recommend that, as part of its oversight of operational resilience at Heathrow and Gatwick, the Civil Aviation Authority ensure that this good practice is followed in future.
5Sussex Police is to be commended for its role in maintaining public order and looking...
Concluded (the committee's words)
Sussex Police is to be commended for its role in maintaining public order and looking after the interests of passengers at Gatwick on Christmas Eve.
6We recommend that CAA oversight of airports’ operational resilience should include consideration of the arrangements...
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that CAA oversight of airports’ operational resilience should include consideration of the arrangements they make to ensure that passengers are kept informed during times of disruption and that information provision is consistent across different means of communication.
7We endorse the recommendation of the McMillan report that Gatwick should appoint Passenger Champions for...
Recommended (the committee's words)
We endorse the recommendation of the McMillan report that Gatwick should appoint Passenger Champions for each of its terminals, who will focus on ensuring that passengers’ needs are prioritised. We recommend that CAA encourage other airports to take similar steps.
8It would be crucial for airlines and airports to reach operational agreements about when airports...
Recommended (the committee's words)
It would be crucial for airlines and airports to reach operational agreements about when airports should step in and how costs should be allocated. We recommend that the Government review this issue in the light of the McMillan report.
9We recommend that CAA bring forward proposals by the autumn for improving the provision of...
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that CAA bring forward proposals by the autumn for improving the provision of information to passengers about their rights at times of disruption. We also recommend that the Government push for amendment to the proposed EU regulation at Transport Council to include electronic means of alert and information dissemination.
10CAA should consider how [the McMillan report’s] recommendation [that Gatwick should work with airlines to...
Concluded (the committee's words)
CAA should consider how [the McMillan report’s] recommendation [that Gatwick should work with airlines to develop much clearer operational protocols to develop guidance on threshold conditions that would trigger the cancellation or postponement of flights] might be extended to cover other airports.
11The problems at Gatwick at Christmas Eve should be a wake-up call for airports across...
Concluded (the committee's words)
The problems at Gatwick at Christmas Eve should be a wake-up call for airports across the UK to get on top of operational resilience issues. Disruption of whatever nature should be met with well-drilled plans, familiar to airport operators, airlines, and other contractors, which put passenger interests first.
12We recommend that the CAA inform us of its assessment of the operational resilience plans...
Recommended (the committee's words)
We recommend that the CAA inform us of its assessment of the operational resilience plans which are being produced by Heathrow and Gatwick and of what action it proposes to take in relation to any elements which it thinks are unsatisfactory.
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 7 Jan 2014No witnesses recordedparliament.uk ↗