• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Rail Link Set to Bring Flights Check-in at Central Station Transport Bosses Bid to Create 'in-Town' Facility for Airport Travellers

Posted on: Monday, 22 August 2005, 18:00 CDT

PASSENGERS going to Glasgow Airport are likely to be able to check in for their flights at Central Station once the airport rail link opens.

Travellers may even be able to offload their bags at the station up to 24 hours before take-off.

City transport bosses believe the check-in facilities will be a major boost for the rail link, scheduled to open in 2008.

If passengers checked in their luggage at Central, it would allow them to turn up at the airport far later than now.

The system already works at some major airports, including London Heathrow.

Alistair Watson, Strathclyde Passenger Transport chairman and the man leading plans for the GBP140million airport rail link, went to Hong Kong this year to see the system in action.

He said: "I was very impressed by what I saw in Hong Kong and we would be silly not to pursue check-in facilities in Central Station.

"Any check-in facilities would have to be within the station concourse and I would be delighted if we could make a case for airport authorities, and especially airlines, to go for check-ins at Central."

British Airways already allows some passengers to check themselves in and print their own boarding cards on domestic routes out of Glasgow.

The airport aims to have technology in place for other airlines to follow suit by the end of the year.

Check-ins at Central should help Glasgow Airport's link overcome one of its problems.

Trains will start running at 6am - making it difficult for passengers to catch early morning flights.

Mr Watson said: "Most airport links only run during normal train operating hours. We would have to amend the franchise agreement with First ScotRail to open earlier."

Running trains early enough to catch Glasgow Airport's first flights would also be expensive, with the station having to be staffed most of the night.

Mr Watson admitted SPT had been receiving letters from air passengers frustrated by not being able to use the existing rail link to Prestwick Airport to catch early flights.

The Glasgow Central airport link would see journeys taking 15 minutes via Paisley.

It would also enable SPT to increase frequencies on high-demand routes from Glasgow to Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Ayrshire.

A new line will be laid from Paisley to the airport, crossing 22 football pitches. The SPT is to replace all 22 pitches, 20 on the same site.

david. leask@ eveningtimes. co. uk

Source: Evening Times; Glasgow (UK)

More News in this Category