Southend Airport’s flight giveaway.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
London Southend Airport is handing out free round-trip tickets to Dublin, Glasgow or Manchester to passengers affected by delays at London Heathrow or Gatwick, in an effort to showcase the benefits of flying through Southend instead of the two busier airports. In addition, the flights operated by Stobart Air, are part of their new domestic routes commencing on the 29th of October.
Starting August 14, Southend will give the tickets to the first 1,000 passengers who email them evidence that their flight from LHR or LGW to one of the aforementioned cities, was delayed by more than 30 minutes.
One representative for the airport states: "Airport capacity is now a significant issue at five out of London's six airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and City) with all of them near to full. However, London Southend Airport which has the potential to accommodate 10 million guests a year, and currently at 1.2 million, has plenty of spare capacity to ensure a smooth, quick and easy transit”.
Data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) verifies that in the first five months of 2017, more than 11 million passengers experienced a delay when travelling from Heathrow or Gatwick. Southend lays the blame on the overcrowded skies over the two airports.