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The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a report on the travel experience from Heathrow airport and identified a number of areas that can be improved.

People travelling through the hub deserve a better service, the study concluded, with a number of different issues regularly causing delays and disruption.

Transport secretary Ruth Kelly published the report and said that it is not only the flight duration that influences journey lengths, but the time taken to travel to the airport, queues and occasional flight delays.

Ms Kelly said that the contents of the study will lead to more efficient and reliable journeys for passengers and help Heathrow retain its 'competitive edge' in global aviation.

She added: 'BAA are making significant investments to expand capacity at Heathrow, for example with Terminal Five opening next March and this will have a major impact on the passenger experience.

'And in the longer term, the construction of Crossrail will significantly reduce journey times to and from the airport for many.'

As part of the DfT's initiative to improve air travel, Ms Kelly is writing to the Civil Aviation Authority to ask for its views on how to improve the transparency of check-in procedures and other aspects of the airport experience.

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