Heathrow Airport has enlisted a former undercover police officer to train colleagues on how to spot the body language typical of an ‘Airport Dad’. Heathrow’s ‘Here to Help’ team – now the ‘Airport Dad Deactivation’ team – aims to de-stress frazzled travellers with vouchers for free food, drinks, de-stress facials at Kiehl’s and premium lounge access to calm them down and get them in the holiday mood.
According to new research commissioned by Heathrow, Brits believe keeping hold of the family’s passports (35%), constantly checking the time (34%), and taking charge of getting everyone to the airport (33%) are the top traits of the ‘Airport Dad’, a label which went viral after the trend for filming frazzled fathers took over TikTok.
“At Heathrow, our priority is making the travel experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible,” said Becky Denness, Head of Customer Engagement, Heathrow. “Our research showed the majority of ‘Airport Dads’ would feel more relaxed if they could enjoy their favourite meal or drink or take a valuable moment to rest, so we hope we can help some of these passengers to relax and enjoy the airport journey, and show them there’s really nothing to stress about!”
The ‘Airport Dad Deactivation’ team will be handing out vouchers to be used at various restaurants and retailers. ‘Airport Dads’ can enjoy free de-stress facials at Kiehl’s, free food and drink at most restaurants including Gordon Ramsay Plane Food, Carluccio’s and Wagamama, and complimentary lounge access complete with drinks and snacks.
