COMMENT: BA Drops Central London Check-in.
The ending of the British Airways check-in at Paddington Station, effective at the end of the month, is a retrograde step. BA says that not enough people are using it. Heathrow Express (in effect BAA) recognises the problems BA is facing and has continued to work with the airline to try to offer ways forward for BA to continue a Paddington check-in, including an offer to reduce costs. ABTN believes that not enough people know about the fine facility. The service has just not been marketed.
Perhaps the closure is a cunning plan to persuade economy class passengers to upgrade? Checking in prior to jumping on the Heathrow Express was always easy. No queues and virtually no class distinction. Compare that to Terminal 4 on a busy morning. As you enter the building turn left for economy. One is often faced with mammoth lines that appear to be stationery. Turn right towards business class (and first) and it is quite civilised. Yes electronic check-in does save using the person to person system but with all airlines (including BA) being much more fussy regarding cabin luggage, anything of any size now has to go in the hold. It has to be physically checked in.
Besides the ease of check-in the Paddington reception has many other advantages too. You can leave your luggage in the morning and spend a day in London if you have an evening departure. If you are staying at an hotel close to the station life can be very easy (and a new Hilton is within the railway complex). For the future the much needed Crossrail is back on track again and this time it will happen. The Paddington check-in has to be part of the package.
Plenty of airlines are still using Paddington and it is worth noting them here. Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, bmi, Finnair, LOT, Lufthansa, Qantas, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines and Varig Brazilian. The list includes some of BA's Oneworld partners.
With Concorde one can understand the BA view that there is no going back (although we feel still that it should take part in Wright brothers centenary celebrations). The aircraft had truly completed its life cycle. But with the central London check-in the opposite is true. Airports all over the world are looking at similar schemes and some already in place are very successful. T5 is finally under way and with it more sophisticated handling and better passenger facilities. BAA - Heathrow Airport desperately wants to reduce traffic and congestion on the roads in and around the airport. By dismantling one access route to Heathrow airside BA is going backwards. There has been some odd decisions by BA in recent years. This is another one of them! Let us hope that they realise their mistake and are big enough to change their mind.