The number of people who travelled through Gatwick Airport in August increased compared with last year, according to official figures for the travel hub.

There was a 3.6% rise in passenger numbers to 132,500 during the period as the airport continued its trend of year-on-year increases.

Passenger numbers were particularly pushed up by year-on-year growth during the school summer holidays, with around half a million people travelling through Gatwick over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Dalaman in Turkey were the most travelled to locations from the airport during this time.

A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said: “Over-all capacity was up by 86,000 seats, with growth to a wide range of Spanish, Italian, Swedish and Canadian destinations.”

Gatwick also recorded its highest ever average load factors during the month. This is the ratio of average load to capacity, making for greater efficiency and performance.

The spokeswoman added: “Average load factors rose 1.4 percentage points to 88.4% this month compared to the same month last year, resulting in Gatwick’s highest ever average load factors.”

The airport, which is the second busiest in the UK, also saw air transport movements rise by 2.1%, with short haul markets making gains in particular.

Planes from Gatwick travel to more than 200 destinations in 90 countries and around 32 million passengers use the airport every year.

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A former Gatwick and Stansted flight controller has achieved her long-held ambition of becoming a commercial pilot.

Sabine Hargreaves now flies 737s for Jet2 from Leeds-Bradford Airport to some of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations.

But speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, she revealed that when she first tried to become a pilot at the age of 18, Lufthansa dashed her hopes by informing her that they were not considering female applicants.

Brushing aside that disappointment, Ms Hargreaves moved to England from Germany and was eventually hired as a flight controller at Stansted and Gatwick.

She told the newspaper: “But I kept flying and saving money and taking exams towards my commercial licence. I had to pass 14 exams in order to become a [commercial] pilot.”

Ms Hargreaves eventually quit to become a full-time flight instructor and eventually obtained her commercial licence at the age of 41.

She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “One thing people always ask me when they find out I’m a pilot is what emergencies I’ve been in. Touch wood, there haven’t been any.

“We have to keep right up to date with all the latest safety training, it’s a big part of what we do. One thing that is a little unnerving is when you are above the clouds and you can see another plane going the same way as you, it’s just disconcerting because it just remains the same distance away.”

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Stansted Airport is at the forefront of two new ventures aimed at improving satisfaction amongst air travellers and encouraging business in the local area.

Last week saw the launch of a new trial that will enable passengers to fast-track their way through security at the airport by purchasing a special ticket for £5.

The fast-track project, in conjunction with hospitality firm No. 1 Traveller, means passengers who buy a ticket no longer have to queue up to get through departures. Until now, the only existing schemes of this nature were only available to frequent flyers or premium travellers.

No. 1 Traveller, chief executive, Phil Cameron, said: “Our aim is to make every step of the journey as enjoyable as possible and this latest offering means that travellers no longer have to waste valuable time queuing to get through to departures.”

Meanwhile, Stansted Airport is also playing host to a highly acclaimed business networking event, which all firms across the East of England have been invited to.

The Meet the Buyers event is taking place at Radisson Blu’s Stansted Airport hotel between 9am and 5pm on September 22. It will provide suppliers based in the area the opportunity to make new contacts and pitch sales to companies based at, or in close proximity, to Stansted.

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People who show very little emotion when they lie could soon be caught out by a new lie detector test which examines changes in facial expressions and blood flow.

The test, which could be piloted at an airport like Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick or Luton, uses cameras and computer software to recognise faces that appear to be untruthful.

Tell-tale signs like lip-biting, slips of the tongue, nose wrinkling and blinking are all registered, while thermal imaging is used to measure flushing and blood-flow patterns around the eyes.

It is hoped that police and border officials could use this technology to detect suspected criminals or terrorists.

Given that the cameras can be positioned out of sight up to three metres away from the person in question, the suspect would not know that they are being monitored by the lie detector.

Despite the UK scientists who created this technology wanting to trial it at an airport in the UK, it has not yet been determined what form of study will be adopted.

In traditional polygraph lie detector tests, subject are wired up to equipment that measures blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, respiration and electrical skin activity.

The system is, however, far from 100% accurate as people can use a range of techniques, such as controlling breathing and heart rate, in order to “beat” the test.

However, subjects would have difficulty manipulating their body responses during the new test as they would not know when they were being scrutinised.

At an airport, the test could be used covertly on passengers at check-in or immigration.

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A survey has revealed that 7% more flights arriving and departing from Luton Airport were early or no more than 15 minutes late in the second quarter of this year, compared with the same period a year previously.

According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), “significant improvements” to the Bedfordshire airport’s on-time performance have been achieved, while average delays have reduced by five minutes, a figure also achieved at Stansted Airport.

The CAA also confirmed that 8% more flights arriving and departing from Stansted were early or no more than 15 minutes late between April and June of this year, compared with the same period in 2010.

CAA group director for regulatory policy Iain Osborne said: “The last 18 months have seen unprecedented disruption and we are pleased to see the sector recovering from this.”

Meanwhile, holidaymakers flocking to Spain for villa breaks have helped boost Luton Airport’s passenger levels.

The airport handled more than one million passengers in August, up 9% from the same period a year ago.

It was also revealed that passenger numbers at the airport rose by 11.3% in the first six months of this year.

Glyn Jones, managing director of London Luton, commented: “More business and holiday travellers have come through London’s fastest growing major airport due to the competitive airline partnerships we have attracted.”

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A dismal end to the UK summer has persuaded thousands of Britons to travel abroad on long-haul flights from airports like Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton in the coming weeks for one last dose of sunshine.

Many of these holidaymakers, it would seem, are opting for a Caribbean getaway as package holidays to the region tend to offer good value for money and, of course, plenty of sunshine. 

Niel Alobaidi, Hayes & Jarvis commercial director, said: “The Caribbean has seen some great growth in recent weeks on the back of excellent value offers.

“We’re seeing growth across all the main islands in the region of 20%, with the most dramatic increases in the Dominican Republic, whose 100% year-on-year growth has been driven largely by BA’s new direct flights into Punta Cana.”

Britons escaping the damp and dreary UK weather by jetting off to the Caribbean are enjoying the best-value deals in the Dominican Republic, according to the Post Office’s latest Travel Money Long Haul Report, while good deals are also to be had in Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica.

Although the Caribbean might seem like an eternal paradise, the region can, from time to time, suffer from unsettled weather.

Bargain hunters might be thrilled to discover that airlines are also slashing fares to the region, partly to offset the impact of hefty UK flight taxes, while Hayes & Jarvis has noted that in recent weeks long-haul holidaymakers are ready to destination-swap to enjoy the biggest savings.

Mr Alobaidi added: “Four-star packages with 40% reductions (over £600) are currently proving more alluring than some cheaper deals in lower-grade hotels.”

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One million tickets for an expo of Shakespeare’s works in London are going on sale in just over a month’s time.

As Stansted Airport is close to the capital, visitors may want to check out flights now for next year’s “unprecedented and outrageous collaboration”.

The World Shakespeare Festival, beginning April 23 and ending in November, is organised by the Royal Shakespeare Company and is said to involve as many as 50 other arts organisations, including many from outside the UK.

It will showcase both the writer’s famous works and his lesser known plays in 70 separate productions.

Thousands of school children and teachers are expected to join about 7,200 amateur theatre producers.

Michael Attenborough, artistic director at London’s Almeida Theatre, which will host King Lear, said: “The greatest artistic passion of my life is directing Shakespeare, and challenges don’t come much more awesomely thrilling than tackling King Lear.”

The writer’s shows are part of the London 2012 Festival and is expected to attract people from across the world.

Special efforts are being made to include school pupils and their teachers in the events by encouraging them to share information globally. Specific materials are being designed for schools across the globe in a digital package called Shakespeare Unlocked.

Recent research shows that around 50% of the world’s school pupils study Shakespeare.

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A second store dedicated to the sale of memorabilia for the Olympic Games has opened at Stansted Airport.

A wide range of London 2012 branded products from souvenirs and clothing to toys and fashion accessories will be on sale at the 1,400 sq ft site, which was officially opened by Games mascots Wenlock and Mandeville in August.

London 2012 may be the only time that many of the visitors will be able to experience an Olympic Games first hand and the stores at Stansted will give them the opportunity to take home a souvenir of the world’s biggest sporting event.

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) said that the stores will give international and domestic visitors to the capital a chance to “stock up on a piece of sporting history” while travelling through the airport.

Simon Lilley, head of licensing at LOCOG, said: “This latest shop opening offers an increased opportunity for London 2012 to connect to UK travellers and international visitors, offering them a great chance to take home a piece of the Games. The range of products on offer is huge and the diversity really means there is something for everyone—from pocket-money toys to collectables.”

Stansted Airport operations director Martin Lyall added: “We are delighted to welcome the new London 2012 shop to Stansted Airport. It provides travellers with a great opportunity to share in the excitement which the London 2012 Games will generate.”

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A large proportion of holidaymakers try to compete with their friends’ travel plans by booking trips to more exotic and exciting locations, a recent survey has revealed.

Up to two in five British travellers admit they have purposefully sought a holiday that they considered to be more impressive than one a friend, family member or work colleague had recently been on, according to a survey by travel agent Sunshine.

Around 9% of these holidaymakers said they booked these trips because they felt jealous about a holiday recently taken by one of their peers.

Competition among London-based holidaymakers is likely to be particularly intense with airports such as Stansted, Luton and Heathrow all offering cheap flights to some of the most beautiful and exotic destinations across the world.

Some 44% of the 1,208 adults who were questioned said they felt happy for a friend who says they had a “lovely holiday abroad” but 12% admitted they had feelings of envy and 6% said they were “annoyed”.

A total of 79% said they had boasted to their contemporaries about how good their holiday was after they got back and 26% said they thought their friends had often gone on a good holiday just to “get one up on them”.

The survey even revealed that 8% of those who had been away had lied to people about their holiday destination to make their trip sound more exotic than it was.

Sunshine co-founder Chris Brown said: “While it’s nice to hear that someone close to you or someone you get on well with at work has had a lovely holiday, it’s hard not to feel a pang of jealousy.

“However, when booking a holiday, it’s important people choose their location or resort based on what they like, not on what they think will look most impressive to others.”

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The Airmiles reward scheme will relaunch as Avios in November, offering customers greater flexibility by allowing them to use one-way flights and to travel in and out of different airports such as Stansted, Luton and Gatwick.

Additional changes to the Avios scheme, officially launch on November 16, will also enable customers to collect points by paying cash for British Airways and Iberia flights, which was not an option in the past.

Avios has also introduced a £27 flat fee for trips within Europe. Under the Reward Flight saver, anyone who has collected a minimum of one Avios point in the last 12 months will have the option of paying just £27 – along with airline taxes, fees and charges – on top of the loyalty points they have cashed in if they’re travelling to selected airports with British Airways or Iberia.

However, the scheme’s completely inclusive flights have been removed as part of the rebrand.

Andrew Swaffield, managing director of scheme operator the Mileage Company, said: “We have made a series of changes, including the removal of the completely inclusive flights with Airmiles. Unfortunately it’s been untenable for us to be able to completely subsidise this. We had been unique in offering that.

“However, 87% of customers use their points for redeeming on European flights, and that’s why we have capped the cost for regular users at £27. We believe that makes Avios the most valuable travel reward currency available for European flights.”

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