"The Family Friendly Pledge is an undertaking that Gatwick is proud to endorse..."
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Gatwick is committed to improving the passenger experience at our airport. Our ‘Passenger Commitments’ clearly outline the core service components that we want each passenger to expect at every stage of their journey through our terminals:
- We’ll treat you as our guest
- We hate queues
- We love to be on time
We work closely with our airlines and other airport partners to deliver high standards of service and provide airport users with a memorable ‘Gatwick experience’.
Within this context the Family Friendly ‘Pledge’ is an undertaking that Gatwick is proud to endorse and relentlessly pursue in our policies and practices - we do aspire to be a family friendly organisation with welcoming, respectful staff and services that every one of our diverse customers can access.
Improving the passenger experience means creating an airport environment that is welcoming and stress-free. Our Passenger Commitments demonstrate our thinking and approach on reducing queues and improving flight punctuality. This is important for all passengers but we recognise that families sometimes require an extra special consideration and focus. That means ensuring we have the facilities that mothers with babies and young children need.
In Spring 2010 we created separate security lanes – “Assistance lanes” - to give famililes travelling with young children in buggies extra help through security after checking-in.
In Spring 2011 we created dedicated “Kids zones” in both our terminals for parents and/or guardians to keep children entertained while waiting in the departure lounge.
Looking inwards, we recognise that many of our staff are parents or guardians with childcare responsibilities. We are sensitive to their needs and we see our maternity and paternity HR policies as progressive. We understand that often childcare related matters can develop at short notice and, as an operations based business, where possible we try to be flexible and accommodating to parents or guardians.
Indeed, our option for flexible working applies to not just those employees with young children but is available to employees who may be carers for an elderly parent or other family member (a total of 11% of our employees have flexible working in order to care for an elderly relative).
We also work in partnership with a nearby childcare nursery that opens earlier and closes later in the day than most other childcare nurseries in the area to support our employees’ shift patterns. We promote Childcare Vouchers as an alternative way of paying for all types of registered or approved childcare to help save employees money. These can be used to pay for an approved nursery, nanny, playgroup or out-of-school club.
Through discussion and consultation we aim to ensure we have a family friendly airport. Our Passenger Advisory Group (PAG) which is the sub committee of our statutory consultative committee (GATCOM) represents the passenger interest and advises us on matters of relevance and importance. We developed our new kids zones in consultation with PAG.
Our Commercial department commissions regular surveys and polling of passengers and other airport users on their experience of our services and their future expectations. We have a dedicated customer service team that regularly collate feedback on family matters.
To help us meet the Family Promise we are committed in 2012 to get these areas of our work right for families:
modernise all baby changing areas across our terminals
trail the provision of airside strollers for arriving passengers with toddlers
provide play areas for children aged between '5 - 11' in both our terminals.
provide facilities for 'teenagers' with mobile/laptop charging points and large screens to host interactive games consoles in North Terminal.
develop specific seating areas for passengers with young children to create family only areas with appropriate baby/toddler feeding facilities.
offer a pre-booked 'porter service' for departing family passengers to take care of luggage and escort the family members through the terminals.
work with on-airport retail and catering outlets to seek discounted deals for families
review policies on maternity, paternity and flexible working
