UK. In our special series to close out 2020, we focus on the heroes and heroines who stood up as a global pandemic raged and ensured that airport, travel retail store and restaurant environments were safe and hygienic, that shelves were stocked and that customers – though few in number – could still enjoy a reassuring shopping, dining or general airport experience.
With the assistance and input of our industry partners, we present the stories of some of those individuals and teams who ensured that a pulse still beat through travel retail this year. As reported in The Moodie Davitt eZine, we salute these front line workers as our People of the Year, with our online coverage building on the pictorial in our year-end edition.
Here, we speak to Luggage-Point Retail & Services Director Graeme Stewart, who identifies some unsung heroes from the front line of the company’s operations at 11 UK airports.
Like all customer-facing aviation businesses, this has been a tough year for the Northumberland-headquartered passenger service provider and airport retailer Luggage-Point.
The largely airport terminal-based company is solely reliant on the strong passenger numbers which have at times been almost completely stripped away as COVID-19 has taken its devastating toll on the industry throughout this year. During this time, however, many of Luggage-Point’s front line and backroom staff have emerged as unsung heroes.
Across 11 UK airports, the company provides passenger services including bag wrapping, left luggage, lost property, UVC baggage cleaning (introduced this year in response to COVID) and shipping services. It is also a luggage airport retailer, operating stores at airports including Glasgow International, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
In 2019, the company was on a roll with ambitious expansion plans for the coming year. Instead, 2020 has been a year of fire-fighting, restructure and lobbying for the voices of non-aeronautical aviation businesses to be heard via local MPs and government.
But despite the manifold challenges, new business has also been won, and a diversification programme implemented. This has largely come through the formation of sister business Enviro-Point, which introduced the Travel Safe Portable Hygiene Kit, alongside a range of PPE via vending machines within a clutch of UK airports. The new company also introduced oxo-biodegradable liquid bags for use in the airports run by UK airport operator, AGS.
Luggage-Point was also awarded the passenger services concession within London Luton Airport, and opened a new luggage store at Birmingham Airport.
It has been an extremely tough and at times exhilarating ride this year, punctuated with “low and dispiriting moments”, as Luggage-Point Retail & Services Director Graeme Stewart told The Moodie Davitt Report. He said: “Other than furlough, no government assistance has been forthcoming for our sector, and there has been no access to business grants and assistance. Non-aeronautical voices have been left unheard by government – the focus has been on hospitality and retail; airports and their concessionaires appear to be the ‘forgotten industry’.”
Stewart added that among those low numbers of passengers who have been able to travel, they now do so with a different mindset – “not relaxed and worried about quarantine measures” in his words – and consequently airport services and landside shopping are no longer at the forefront of the airport experience. Sadly, he said the landscape of the typical UK airport terminal has also changed, with one-way systems now directing passengers directly to check-in/security and bypassing landside services and shops.
However, the Luggage-Point show goes on. Passenger services contracts are still running and stores still opening when and where possible, bringing core staff from the company to the fore. Stewart paid this tribute to them: “The staff have been fantastic and understood the need to diversify and remain adaptable to the ever-changing restrictions or government measures. For example, this has meant working different shift patterns and having rotas quickly changed, often on a daily basis.”
He added: “The Luggage-Point staff have gone above and beyond to help customers retrieve lost and found, which has often resulted in us remaining open after our trading times. Whilst a number of operators conducted full closures, Luggage-Point maintained a constant customer service presence throughout the pandemic.”
While stressing that achieving all of this has been a strong, concerted team effort, Stewart picked out a group of individuals in the Luggage-Point business who have shown outstanding commitment and adaptability during 2020.
They include:
* Business Manager Julie Fenwick, who has managed all telephone and email enquiries across numerous airports, often handling enquiries out of hours. This includes chasing lost and found and reuniting numerous items with their owners (even when Luggage-Point units have been in enforced lockdown).
* Edinburgh Manager Margaret McKenzie, who has often remained in position after her shift time, or started early to facilitate the Luggage-Point lost and found service. She has made numerous trips to courier depots when couriers have cancelled collections at the last minute. Margaret has also ensured lost and found consumables have been donated to local food banks where appropriate.
* Glasgow Manager Fraser Meldrum, who has been proactive to ensure passenger service has not been compromised. He has often worked out of shift times, assessing the many changes in flight schedules.
* National Manager Dale Charlton, who has ensured Luggage-Point staff morale has remained positive throughout this year’s difficulties. Dale implemented all of the COVID-19 safe processes on behalf of the company in-store and ensured staff were trained accordingly. He also stepped up while some directors were shielding to ensure the opening of the new airside store at Birmingham went smoothly.
* Edinburgh Duty Manager Scott Cunningham, who has repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty during these difficult COVID times, helping passengers no matter what their problem was and always handling them with empathy.
* Birmingham Manager Maria Scialdone, who has been a proactive and supportive staff member throughout the pandemic crisis. She has ensured lost property repatriation services continued to the highest standards – often working out of hours – and was also instrumental in the opening of the new airside luggage store.
With quality individuals like these in his corner, Stewart – who called for a rigid process for passenger COVID-19 testing to help revival in UK airports – believes the prospects for his businesses remain bright: “It will no doubt be a tough year for much of the aviation industry, however the directors, managers and all of the Luggage-Point team will remain focused, dedicated and hold strong in our belief that we are an industry that will bounce back. The UK is an island and air travel will be paramount in the economic recovery.”
He concluded: “We will continue our strong focus on innovation. This is a must not only for business survival, but also for flourishing long into the future. It is evident that our industry is severely lacking in digitalisation and steps must be made to embrace this technology. Our company is excited to announce that we will be unveiling a variety of digital solutions throughout 2021, including the introduction of some aviation retail industry-first technology.”
