Heathrow Express connects business and leisure travellers to Heathrow Airport and central London in just fifteen minutes. Offering a premium experience with 150 services a day, Heathrow Express is on average half an hour quicker than travelling by tube and forty minutes quicker than travelling by taxi.
Since its launch in 1998 Heathrow Express has demonstrated improved business and service performance, reinforcing its position as a market leader. In 2009 Heathrow Express made Paddington station the first UK railway station to offer Flight Information Display Screens and Airline Self Service Check-In. Free onboard Wi-Fi was added in 2009 and in 2011 the company launched a booking iphone app which allows customers to book and receive tickets directly on their phone.
Heathrow Express trains are designed to offer customers a calm, considered on-board experience. Features include climate control, doors at platform level and generous luggage areas. Onboard televisions keep customers up to date with international news and weather and First Class customers receive complimentary copies of the FT as well as quicker access to the airport terminals.
In a climate where many TMCs and PAs are tasked with driving down costs and securing value, Heathrow Express offers significant savings against taxi services to and from the airport or central London. This, coupled with the fact that the services are frequent and journey time is standard, means travellers can be assured of their arrival time at the airport, making for a cost effective, stress free journey. For the ever increasing amounts of businesses and individuals with their eye on the green agenda Heathrow Express can help fulfil CSR targets and reduce the carbon footprint.
Heathrow Express continues to grow market share and passenger numbers. This growth is matched by ongoing exemplary performance delivered by the Heathrow Express team every day. The company participates in the BAA Quality of Service Monitor (QSM) to measure customer feedback. Key performance indicators continue to be exceptional, with 96 percent of customers intending to repeat travel and 94 percent stating they would recommend the service to friends and colleagues.
Heathrow Express’ key brand values are speed, frequency and certainty; research has shown that these are the service benefits most required by customers. Internal values centre on professionalism, customer focus, personal and operational integrity. Company policy is supported with everyone in the business benefiting from internal structures built to uphold their award-winning standards of customer service.
Beyond these internal measures Heathrow Express has consistently sustained an excellent Public Performance Measure (the UK rail industry standard for reliability and punctuality) currently at 97.46 percent. Likewise the service has repeatedly achieved top scores in the independent National Passenger Survey – a 50,000 passenger questionnaire conducted by Passenger Focus twice a year. Results include consistently achieving a top three position for customer satisfaction as well as excellence in measures such as availability and helpfulness of staff, value for money, and train cleanliness.
Heathrow Express is the only non-franchised mainline railway service operating in the UK owning the land, rail tracks and trains it uses. This unique position allows an ongoing programme of investment and innovation to maintain its position of leadership in the industry.
The future
Now in its 15th year of operation, 2012 will be a memorable year in the history of the organisation. Recently appointed Managing Director Keith Greenfield is keen to capitalise on the success of the service and to lead the business into a new era of operation. “I have always admired the attention to detail, customer service and reliability that I have experienced at Heathrow Express as a customer; I look forward to taking Heathrow Express into a new era in 2012.” In an important year for London, Heathrow Express will unveil a new corporate identity and operating systems to update and differentiate the service further.
For further information please contact Sarah Johnson or Jules Ugo on:
Tel: 020 7953 7470; Email: firstname@lotus-uk.co.uk
