Airport uses CCTV to check queue complaints
AIRPORT authorities used CCTV to check the validity of customer complaints about long waits at security.
A big queue again formed on Friday with only one lane operating in the evening.
Passengers remarked on queues of more than an hour, but the airport said a CCTV check revealed that, at most, passengers were waiting for around 30 minutes.
Head of aviation Ash Nicholas said they picked up on people’s complaints on social media.
‘We took a review of CCTV footage when we saw that people were concerned over their wait time,’ he said.
‘We found the longest from the back of the queue to going through security only took 30 minutes at most.’
One passenger said they joined the back of the security queue at 5.51pm, aiming to catch the 6.30pm Aurigny flight to Southampton.
They left the queue once to get assurances from Aurigny that their flight would not leave without them. They finally made it through security at 6.30pm.
‘I was not even the last person from my flight to make it through security,’ the passenger said.
‘There are signs saying that under the new security arrangements the queues would not be any longer than they used to be.
‘But I am a regular traveller and I never used to have to wait this long. It puts you in a very stressful situation. When I finally got to the security comb, there was only one X-ray machine operating. It’s crazy.’
Aurigny held the service for the passengers and the plane departed half an hour late.
Mr Nicholas added: ‘There was no equipment problems but there was only one security lane and this was due to staff resources.
‘We do advise passengers to always give plenty of time to go through security as this can take time.’
