Airport pram raiders
Passengers show gratitude for free baby buggies at terminal – by strolling off with scores of them
IT WAS supposed to be a way of helping hard-pressed families with tired children cope as they stepped off their long holiday flight.
But the idea of providing a fleet of 150 complimentary pushchairs at the arrivals hall at Gatwick Airport has backfired – after the majority of them were stolen by passengers.
Instead of leaving the buggies at the designated drop-off point in the baggage reclaim area when their own pushchair arrives on the carousel, some holidaymakers have brazenly walked off with them before loading them into their car or boarding the Gatwick Express rail service with their newly acquired booty.
The Mothercare Nanu Strollers were widely welcomed as part of a family-friendly initiative when they were introduced at the airport in West Sussex in April.
Airport bosses said at the time that they wanted to encourage families ‘to take advantage’ of the 150 buggies as Gatwick became the UK’s first airport to offer parents the free service.
The strollers feature a multi-position reclining seat with adjustable calf rest and normally cost £49.99 on the High Street.
The Gatwick buggies bear no stamp or label identifying them as airport property, although their canvas seats are decorated in the same shade of blue as Gatwick’s own-brand logo.
According to passport control officials based at the North Terminal, only five of the original fleet of buggies remain. An order for a further 200 has now been placed but airport workers expect many of these to disappear too unless a security device or alarm is fitted to prevent their removal.
Gatwick handles up to 60,000 incoming passengers a day and airport managers say it is not surprising that some of the buggies have been misappropriated.
A spokesman said: ‘I know there is some truth [in the suggestion that scores have been taken] but I don’t have any figures.
‘It’s obviously something we are keeping an eye on. The buggies are just so popular and we are having to continually replenish them.’
The Family and Childcare Trust, which gave Gatwick its Family Friendly UK accreditation after the scheme was launched, said it was ‘disappointed’ by the way some parents had abused the idea but insisted the initiative still had its backing. ‘We’ve had a handful taken since April and the reason for ordering 200 more is due to how popular they have been and to help us manage the flow between the aircraft and baggage halls.
‘They are stored in a branded wallmounted shelving unit so are very clearly Gatwick property.’