While true, i'm not convinced BAA would have tackled the front end, customer service issues as effectively as the new owner has done. Gatwick has clearly been listening to its customers and responded appropriately.

It is worth noting BAA's infrastructure projects at GLA and EDI, which ran concurrently with BAA's capital investment at LGW. As a regular user of EDI, BAA forever reminds us of the sums of money it is injecting into the airport but the user experience at EDI has not tangibly improved as a result. With some aspects it has actually deteriorated - the new security area is one example. During the summer, BAA at EDI has shown itself in a high profile manner the extent by which it overrules customer feedback.

The new owner of Gatwick has demonstrated that real, tangible improvements can be implemented in a cost effective way.