Ask your questions about airport facilities or security to Heathrow airport - £150 voucher to be won ANSWERS BACK

[JustineBMumsnet]

Answers are now back, you can find these here .

Being in an airport can be a challenging experience, especially if you’re with small children who just can’t wait to get to their destination. Ahead of the Easter break, when more families than ever are expected to fly abroad, Heathrow would like you to ask your most pressing questions for making a journey smoother for you and your family. Whether you have questions about airport facilities or activities, or you’d like to better understand security measures, Heathrow’s experts - Amanda and Nicola - would like to help answer your questions.

Here’s what Heathrow have to say: “We know travelling with children can come with its own challenges for busy parents, so we are dedicated to doing all we can to helping you plan and prepare for your journey. We have services like complimentary kids’ eat free meals and dedicated play areas to ensure both parents and children feel as excited as possible when they come through Heathrow.”

So, ask Amanda and Nicola your questions about airport facilities or security by posting them below by the 3rd April. We’ll then choose 20 questions for them to answer and post a link to their responses as soon as possible. All who post a question below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £150 voucher (whether their question is chosen or not).

Here’s some more information on Amanda and Nicola:

Amanda West – Customer Operations Manager
“As part of her job , Amanda develops family-friendly services at Heathrow – including baby changing facilities, and dedicated play areas to keep your children busy ahead of boarding.”

Nicola Tibbles – Security Assurance Manager
“Nicola helps to manage the flow of passengers to ensure family journeys are as smooth as possible.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

I know the security staff are busy and doing their job, but a little more kindness and compassion if a child sets of the scanner would be appreciated. For some reason my 10 year old son sets the scanner off every time and is terrified, often I am ushered away so reassuring him from a short distance but the airport is a scary place for a child - particularly if they think they are going to be split up from their parent.

My question therefore is can the security staff please be trained to be a little bit more empathetic with children?

Thank you

In terms of bringing baby milk or liquid formula – should this go in a separate plastic bag to the other liquids? And how much discretion is used in terms of it being a 'reasonable amount'?

in the desk could you maybe having a distraction pack available.eye spey sheet to look for at airport all around them.who the people will be once on the plan.what each person does.pilot.flight attendant.
colouring page or bookmark to colour.crossword etc.airport poems.more knowledge in employer for people with emotional needs

Are there any family/play areas at the satellite gates?

I've used the play area at heathrow which is great. Now have new baby - are there any quiet breastfeeding areas? Also, would be nice to have some toilets big enough to go in with toddler AND hand luggage (which you're not supposed to leave unattended - plus now I'll have a baby too). I am always loathe to use the disabled but many of the toilets are too small - it would be nice to have larger toilets for those with babies/ small children or signs clearly stating where we can use disabled toilets. this sort of issue makes me not want to travel by air alone, although in the past I've had occasions where I've had to. It must be very hard for single parents.

Do you have any facilities for kids with ASD? Specifically queuing at security and check in. We find this the hardest part of travelling.

Taking up the issue of children setting off alarms going though the security scanner. Last time the staff handled it well with my 7 yr old...but it is a scary process for them to be subjected to further searches and drugs swabs!
Maybe something simple like a "well done" type of badge and /or lolly pop would be nice to be awarded?
PS the soft play area in T5 is great and well managed.

Does the airport or any airlines have any child-friendly apps to explain the various functions around the airport, what to expect, where the food is prepared, where lost property is kept, how much training a pilot needs etc?

Perhaps more information on gates and distances. Not as bad as Gatwick but still you never quite know how far you are expected to lug things around for.

Can there be some child friendly explanations around the need for security? I have lots of questions about this and it can be hard to know how to strike the right balance of truth without freaking out anxious children.

When flying from Fuerteventura airport there was a dedicated lane for quicker security etc for those with young children. Would that be difficult to implement? Also, when we arrived back in the UK it took almost an hour to go through immigration, during which time both do were desperate for the loo. Is there any this could be better managed with young children?

I recently flew into and out of Heathrow alone with two under 7's. It was pretty stress free but I agree with family lanes in security. Perhaps for children under 11 or those with special needs, perhaps with staff that have more experience with children, luckily it was only me and my younger NT child that had to remove shoes and go in the scanner. Even watching this wasn't easy for my older child, who has ADHD.
Also I know this is not specifically about the airport but as my son has special needs a couple of points in the journey were very difficult for him. I thought maybe children with less obvious disabilities could have an internationally recognised sticker that parents can request, either on them, their bag or their parent. Both the cabin crew on our flight and the security staff at both airports were fantastic, but that hasn't always been my experience. I wouldn't feel so isolated if I had some way of communicating that he has different needs without having to actually say it when I'm in the middle of trying to help him cope.

Tips for traveling with epipens please! We've got a severe peanut allergy and travelling gives me the fear!

Any idea when we might get some of these questions answered? Don't mean to pester but we fly in 7 weeks so I'm starting to plan how to prepare DS1. He's already very anxious!

Was recently in Terminal 2 at Heathrow and was quite impressed, particularly with the place to empty water bottles out just before security, with the promise of being able to fill them afterwards, and also with the "repacking" tables, and the co-operative staff when we asked for a wheelchair.

But there weren't many seats at all, unless you went into a cafe. I understand that you have to keep most of the floor clear, but are there any prospects of you introducing a few more benches?

I have flown quite a few times with 3 young kids under 5 and the security queues are horrendous. At least 45 mins, some airports have lanes for families or are allowed through fast track. Do you not allow similar. My 18 month old screamed the whole time we waited in the queue and no one let us go ahead and I had no pushchair as I was on a connecting flight so it was quite a struggle. Other international airports offer free use of strollers in the airport, could you maybe start offering this.

I in the future will be avoiding Heathrow.

It seems sometimes when I fly, everyone is asked to take their shoes off whereas other times it only seems to be certain type of shoes e.g. boots.

Same with laptops - sometimes they have to be out of the bag, sometimes it's also out of laptop sleeve, and sometimes also power on.

Does Heathrow have a consistent policy on shoes and laptops, amd is it clearly promoted in advance? Makes a difference when choosing what to wear and how to pack the bag!

we will be flying with a weaning baby in March, are those food pouches allowed on board, are they classed as liquids?

My son has autism and an intellectual disability, can I jump the passport queue if he becomes distressed?

Would it be possible to hire the car seats needed when travelling with a child under 2 who has their own seat? It would be really handy if it could be already fitted by cabin crew and waiting for you when you get on. It's really awkward having to drag that round with you as well as a pushchair and 3 kids especially when travelling alone

Why did you get rid of the Iris programme? It made clearing border control so much faster for frequent travellers like myself, and the introduction of the e gates seem to have made the lines longer than before, esp at T3

Do you have a toilet that is accessible for my disabled child at the airport? Like many disabled people she needs a hoist and changing bed - not just a standard 'disabled loo' which involves lying on a dirty floor.

Returning back into the UK via Heathrow usually makes my heart sink as the queues snake round for passport control. There is a definite contrast with some other international airports where a smile/welcome as you are beckoned forward is the norm. I think some of the Heathrow passport controllers could do with some upskilling. Is this something the Amanda and Nicola are able to influence? One thing I have been mindful of though at Heathrow are the queue hosts who are quick to spot families with distressed or vulnerable children and they are supported to a quicker queue - that's great!

When flying back into Heathrow, the families with children under 13 can't use the self-scanning passport gates, so have to join the queue for an immigration officer. Last time there was one sole officer doing checks, and a gaggle of 4 who were just chatting amongst themselves - looked like casual chatting not earnest work discussions.

It sucks!

If you do introduce security lanes/fast track for families please can you make sure that it is not shared with disabled lanes. When DS who us in a wheelchair was younger it was other parents with similar aged children who made life difficult. No DS can't stand in the queue like you children, at the moment the longest he can stand is 3 minutes, and only then if there are no distractions/knocks etc.... And no carrying him is not like carrying a baby or you bag, he weighs 26 kg and can't support his own weight, so if I don't have his walking aids we are in trouble...,