Heathrow VIPs

Heathrow air traffic controllers manage around 100 flights in and out of the airport per hour. The five London airports together (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, London City and Luton) will handle over 1 million flights in and out of their terminals this year, a new record. I know about increases in air traffic partly because I live under the Heathrow flight path, albeit only when the wind is an easterly, and partly because this week I visited the Heathrow Air Traffic Control Tower. The team there - essentially one central supervisor with two controllers, one for take off and one for landings - view their wide world from the highest visual control room in the country, 87 metres above the terminals and taxiways. I joined my fellow Fellows of the Tourism Society for a 'behind the scenes' visit to Heathrow and our small group were taken on an escorted tour to the platform of the Tower just below the controllers. We were warned to speak in low voices so as not to distract the controllers from their highly concentrated work, just above our heads.
In addition to the Tower, our group was also treated to the luxurious hospitality of 'The Ultimate Airport Experience', namely the Heathrow VIP service. Next time I'm stuck in one of those queues, I'll be reminding myself that for a mere £2,000, I could instead be relaxing in the calm sanctuary of a VIP suite. But maybe the delays and pesky paparazzi haven't become so unbearable - yet !