Heathrow ‘needs improvement' in how disabled flyers are treated, regulator says
Heathrow 'needs improvement' in how it assists passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, a regulator has found.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which conducted the assessment, also gave the same rating to Edinburgh and Glasgow Prestwick airports.
It said the three airports have 'clearly more to do' in their provision of additional support.
Fourteen UK airports were rated as 'good' and 11 as 'very good'.
None were rated 'poor'.
CAA group director for consumers and markets Selina Chadha said disabled passengers and those with limited mobility should be able to be 'confident when travelling through UK airports'.
She continued: 'Our mission is to protect people and enable aerospace, and we believe the entire industry should be behind the goal of making aviation accessible to all.
'It is welcome that most airports scored positively, but there is clearly more to do from those found to be needing improvement.
'With demand for these services rising dramatically in recent years, all airports have a huge challenge ahead to ensure they continue to offer the assistance services their passengers deserve.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boss blasted over 'ridiculous' request for fired worker: 'Having a laugh'
A boss has been blasted for the "ridiculous" text messages he sent to a worker who had been fired just a week earlier. The exchange sparked debate online, with some saying their former bosses had made similar requests. UK workplace expert Ben Askins is known for sharing anonymous text messages submitted by workers calling out their bosses' bad behaviour. He recently shared an exchange where a boss asked a former employee for help to train his replacement. 'Hey, I know this probably isn't the best time to ask, but we're struggling with the new ticketing process. Is there any chance you could come in and run the new guy through it?' the boss wrote. RELATED Tradie 'forced' to quit job after boss swears at him in secretly recorded meeting Centrelink payment alert for 58,000 Aussies in caravans ATO $1,519 cash boost heading for Aussies in weeks Surprised, the employee responded with: 'Are you having a laugh? You fired me last week?' The boss then replied, saying he wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important. 'It shouldn't take you long. I know this is awkward, I promise you get you a coffee for the favour,' he said. The employee then agreed to do it, but said he wanted it to be a remote tutorial, and he would charge for half a day. 'Remote is fine, but half a day's pay? This will only take a few minutes,' the boss wrote. 'That is the deal,' the worker replied. The boss conceded but said they were "disappointed' this was the way the worker was 'playing it'. Askins said the boss was 'really pushing his luck' with the request and pointed out the worker had no obligation to help his former boss out. 'First, let's be very clear, he does not have to do this favour for him, so the fact that he is charging is just completely okay. He is giving up his time, he really doesn't have to do it,' he said. Askins said the idea that his boss didn't think he had to pay for the worker's time was 'absolutely ridiculous'. People online also sided with the worker. 'Half a day? I'd charge them my 'consultancy fee' and it would be astronomical,' one wrote. 'I wouldn't even answer the message,' another said. 'But why would the boss replace a competent worker with an incompetent one in the first place?' a third wrote. Others said they had been in similar situations in the past. 'I was texted my previous manager months after leaving a job asking if I could come back to cover some shifts as they were really short staffed,' one said. 'I also got this call from my last boss. I would want the money first,' another in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Global energy CO2 emissions reached record high last year, report says
LONDON (Reuters) -Global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector hit a record high for the fourth year running last year as fossil fuel use kept rising even as renewable energy reached a record high, the Energy Institute's annual statistical review of world energy showed on Thursday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The report's figures highlight the challenge of trying to wean the world economy off fossil fuels at a time when conflict in Ukraine has redrawn oil and gas flows from Russia and fighting in the Middle East raises concern about security of supplies. Last year was the hottest year on record, with global temperatures exceeding 1.5 C (34.7 F) above the pre-industrial era for the first time. BY THE NUMBERS The world saw a 2% annual rise in total energy supply in 2024, with all sources of energy such as oil, gas, coal, nuclear, hydro and renewable energy registering increases, which last occurred in 2006, the report said. This led to carbon emissions increasing by around 1% in 2024 and exceeding the record level set the previous year at 40.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Of all the global fossil fuels, natural gas saw the biggest increase in generation, growing 2.5%. Meanwhile, coal grew by 1.2% to remain the largest source of generation globally, while oil growth was under 1%. Wind and solar energy expanded by 16% in 2024, nine times faster than total energy demand, the report showed. CONTEXT Industry body the Energy Institute, which comprises energy professionals across levels, together with consultancies KPMG and Kearney, took over from BP last year to author the report. Analysts tracking progress have said the world is not on course to meet a global goal of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 despite record amounts being added. KEY QUOTES "Last year was another turning point for global energy, driven by rising geopolitical tensions," Romain Debarre of consultancy Kearney, one of the authors of the report, said in a release. "COP28 set out a bold vision to triple global renewables by 2030, but progress is proving uneven and despite the rapid growth we have seen globally we are still not at the pace required," said Wafa Jafri, a partner at KPMG. COP28 was the United Nations Climate Change Conference that took place in Dubai in 2023, at which countries signed a pact to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Forbes
Embrace Of Technology Across All Business Is Key To Growth
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during a visit to ... More Horiba Mira in Nuneaton, to mark the launch of the Government's Industrial Strategy earlier this week. (Photo by Jacob King - WPA Pool / Getty Images) As is almost inevitably the case with government announcements, it was not easy to assess how much of Sir Keir Starmer's long-awaited industrial strategy was new when it was unveiled earlier this week. In particular, and unsurprisingly, there were questions about both the amount of the money pledged and whether it also was new — or merely recycled from elsewhere. Nevertheless, its existence is at least an acknowledgement that it is not enough for Sir Keir and his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to keep talking about growth and that they need to show some action and provide some incentives. This seems to have found favor with at least some in business who were involved in the development of the policy. For example, both Sarah Walker, chief executive for the U.K. and Ireland at technology giant Cisco, and Daniel Pell, her counterpart at the people and financial management software company Workday, welcomed the initiative, at least partly on the grounds that it had been — in Pell's words — 'built through consultation with business.' Essentially, the strategy sets out to boost eight key sectors — the IS-8 — that the U.K. Government expects to deliver faster than average growth and higher pay for workers. These sectors are advanced manufacturing, creative industries, clean energy, digital technologies, professional and business services, life sciences, financial services and defence. The focus on areas that are already deemed successful is bound to upset those in other industries that have missed out on special treatment. Reports point to how the retail and hospitality sectors have been hit hard by recent changes to employers' taxes and argue that they also suffer from the high energy prices that are being targeted for the chosen sectors. And then there are the supporters of the beleaguered agricultural sector. But for recognising that there are certain parts of the economy that merit support because they are successful rather than because they are struggling, ministers deserve some credit. In the past, too many governments of different political persuasions have wasted public money on industries and individual companies that were never going to compete internationally. That said, there are a lot of details that will have to be got right if this strategy is to fare any better than its predecessors. A key element is the much talked-about issue of the British worker. Policy makers fret about lack of productivity while employers complain of skills shortages. Meanwhile, many would-be employees are disincentivised by the poor levels of pay. Not only have spikes in inflation meant that in real terms pay for many has dropped in recent years, but the benefits available to many can make people feel it is not worthwhile to go to work. This is a key reason why the current U.K. Government's attempts to reform the welfare state, which are putting it at odds with some of its own MPs and supporters, are so crucial. Another over-riding concern is technology. Ministers can still seem to regard it as something somewhat fanciful that involves only a few businesses. But, as Cisco's Walker pointed out in a statement reacting to the announcement of the industrial strategy, 'As well as being one of the eight growth driving sectors, the role of technology will be key across the board.' The strategy talks about spending more than £1 billion ($1.37 billion) a year on skills by 2028-29, including reforming apprenticeships so that, for instance, short, targeted courses within sectors qualify. This is something that has long been lobbied for by those involved in digital training and should be welcomed. But the bigger issue, of course, is AI. Like technology in general, this will pervade all sectors before long. As Pell pointed out in his statement, the Government does have an AI Opportunities Action Plan. But, such is the pace of change, that plan is going to have to be implemented in short order if the country is not to be left behind. According to Cisco research, only a tenth of U.K. organizations are fully prepared to harness AI's potential. However, a study recently published by the enterprise software company Salesforce suggests that U.K. companies are leading the way on agentic AI adoption. Nearly four out of five leaders reported that their companies were already using AI agents. While the company is calling for a national digital skills platform to help resell and train the workforce in what is required to succeed in the AI world, it is hard to escape the conclusion that the process needs to start much earlier in individuals' lives. Already, schools and colleges in the U.K. — like their counterparts around the world — are grappling with students using AI in fair and sometimes not so fair ways. But, rather than pushing against the tide, educators could be harnessing AI to enhance the learning experience — and improve results. A glimpse of what might be possible was offered earlier this month by Efekta Education Group, a technology-led spin-off from Education First, which claims to be the world's largest private education company. With a track record in teaching children and employees of some of the world's largest companies English as a foreign language, it is offering two AI products — one to help teachers deal with the administrative work that takes up so much of their day and the other to provide students with an AI tutor to help make students more engaged and to provide the personalized learning that research has shown improves results. For the moment, the company is sticking to the language training that it has grown up on, but it has plans to move into sciences and mathematics. Imagine if something like this were adopted in the national curriculum. Then the U.K. really might be on a path to being a digital powerhouse.
