AIRLINE PASSENGERS have once again been surveyed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, their report for 2003 published last week. For the survey 180,000 people were interviewed, including 110,000 at the London airports. The survey reveals key travel information and demographic indicators. Dublin was the most popular route used by leisure passengers at the London airports, followed by Malaga, New York, Amsterdam and Mallorca. Edinburgh was first for business types, followed by Amsterdam, Dublin, Glasgow and Paris. 61% of London's passengers travelled for leisure, 39% for business. At London City the figures were 45% and 55%, Gatwick 84% and 16%, Heathrow 58% and 42%, Luton 75% and 25%, and Stansted 82% and 18%. 26% of passengers using London's airports were connecting from another service. One in three passengers at Heathrow changed flights, compared with 15% at Gatwick, 14% at Stansted (up from 9% in 2002), and 3% at Manchester. The capital had the highest proportion of passengers travelling to the airport by public transport, at 34%. Private cars were the most popular mode of transport across the UK: 44% in London, 74% in Bristol and 57% in Manchester. Of the 12 airports included in the survey, interviews take place on an annual basis at Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted, and every three to five years at Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, London City, Liverpool and Nottingham East Midlands.
http://www.caa.co.uk/erg/erg_surveys/default.asp?page=3973