The deal which averted strikes by thousands of Airport workers includes a 2 per cent pay rise and a lump sum of £500, according to the union Unite.

Unite said the offer by BAA was double the original deal proposed by the airport operator, which was rejected last week, raising the threat of travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers.

Firefighters, airport security staff and other workers at Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports will now be urged to accept the new deal in a ballot over the next three weeks.

Unite said the new offer, tabled by BAA during lengthy talks at the conciliation service Acas on Monday, would now set the standard for pay deals in the aviation industry.

The offer includes a 2 per cent increase on basic pay and allowances from January 2010, arrangements for payment of shift pay during periods of sickness to remain unchanged, and a lump sum of £500, with £200 paid next month and the remainder next March.

Unite said the lump sum could reach £900 if performance targets are met

National officers Brian Boyd and Brendan Gold said: “This offer is double what BAA had originally offered with no strings attached. Plus it comes with a guaranteed lump sum of £500. The negotiations were tough but Unite has delivered a fair offer for BAA staff.

“The game is up for employers in the aviation industry. With the recession receding in the industry, Unite now expects BAA’s pay offer to set the standard.”

Source : ITN

Customer service is one of the most important areas of airport jobs as there will be hundreds of passengers a day that require assistance or have complaints and requests. This sort of airport job can be stressful but is excellent for those that are interested in helping people and ensuring that the airport runs smoothly. To find out more about customer service airport jobs, read on.

Customer Service Airport Job Information

• When a flight is cancelled or suffers delays, it is the responsibility of people with customer service airport jobs to deal with the passengers and to organise a place to stay or to find space on another flight. The ability to work under intense pressure is essential for a customer service airport job.

• Dealing with complaints is not the only part of customer service jobs in airport however. You will also be expected to deal with customer requests and any special requirements; this could include arranging for disabled passenger access or ensuring that a child travelling alone is correctly looked after. Those with customer service airport jobs could also be expected to deal with groups of passengers or VIPs.

• There are no specific qualifications required for these airport jobs but a good GCSE education is essential and A-levels or a degree will be highly advantageous. Previous work experience in a customer services environment is very helpful in these airport jobs.

• Some physical strength will be required to work in these customer service airport jobs because you may be required to help people with their baggage. A second language will be very helpful in airport jobs and knowledge of the day to day workings of an airport will be very helpful. Good communicative and interpersonal skills will be essential in these airport jobs as you will be dealing not only with customers but also with other companies such as car rental, hotels and transport companies.

• Those with airport customer service jobs in airport can expect to earn between £13k and £16k per year depending on the airline and the amount of experience held. There are opportunities to progress in these airport jobs to supervisor and managerial positions. You can search for a customer services airport job here on Airport Jobs.

If you are looking for airport jobs, there are hundreds of positions you could choose from depending on your own skills and qualities, and how you want to progress in your career. Depending on the airport job you are looking for, you may require years of experience and specialist qualifications or you may simply need the ability to work hard and as a team, either way jobs in airport roles can be excellent. Read on to find out more about airport jobs.

Choosing Airport Jobs

• One of the most common but still most important jobs in an airport is that of a baggage handler as these airport jobs ensure the smooth running of entire airport and allow passengers to get through the airport as quickly as possible. These airport jobs are also quite demanding and stressful as bags need to be placed on the correct flight, safely and at the other end they need to be either taken to baggage collection or be placed on another flight.

• Some of the other very important airport jobs are those of customer services. In these airports jobs you may work for a specific airline or the airport itself and this involves ensuring that all customers are happy and that any problems get resolved instantly. You will need to have plenty of patience and excellent communicative skills in this airport job as you will often be dealing with people who are tired and/or agitated.

• Retail and catering makes up large numbers of jobs in the airport and these ensure that the passengers in the airport are kept well fed and have everything they may need for the flight such as magazines, music or anything else they may require. These airport jobs will again require good customer service and interpersonal skills as well as flexibility. Airports run 24/7 and staff are constantly required for these jobs in the airport.

• In the modern era, airport security is essential and although there is a huge police and customs in airports, security staff are still required to make sure that all passengers and airport job holders are kept safe. Jobs such as aviation technicians require years of training and undertake the essential maintenance of aircraft at the airport and ensures a quick turnaround.

This is just a taster of some of the airport jobs available as there are hundreds of different jobs in airport. You can search for a wide range of airport jobs here on Airport Jobs.

A multi-million pound expansion of Edinburgh Airport has been officially opened.

The £40m departure lounge and security hall will support up to 150 retail airport jobs and is part of a 10-year revamp plan.

It will also allow the airport to expand from handling nine million passengers every year to an expected 13 million by 2013.

Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney, who performed the opening, said: “Edinburgh Airport is a key economic asset for Scotland’s capital and beyond.

Full expansion
The airport’s revamp is aimed at developing it into “one of the most modern gateways in Europe”.

Operators BAA said Edinburgh was the only UK airport to grow in passenger numbers last year and the expansion in facilities would help it meet forecasted growth.

The full expansion is due for completion in spring next year but it will open in phases during 2009 and 2010.