Historically, Manchester International Airport was the place I frequented most often but right now, I’m more of a London Heathrow Chauffeur. With the ever-changing world of Covid-19 and the travel restrictions it imposes, passengers are having to alter their plans and find new routes to reach their destinations. Despite lock-down, some business passengers are still moving around.
When I read trade articles or interact with members of my profession online, or even speak to other chauffeurs on the telephone, they all say the same thing. They are witnessing a prolonged downturn in travel. Some are closing or simply parking their vehicles for weeks and months at a time between a handful of jobs. This is not a good position but there is hope that travel will return.
Some Passengers Need to Travel
At DrivenByQ we are exceptionally lucky to have a robust customer base. Just like the financial crisis a decade ago, the cost of Covid-19 is stark but some essential passengers will always need to travel. Luckily our customer base is primarily constructed from large multinational manufacturing companies. They typically have a small pool of specialist staff who are required to work across multiple sites.
Highly skilled and specialist staff sometimes need to be onsite. They need to see problems with their own eyes or touch something with their own hands to perform their role. They simply cannot work from home. As such, they have to find a way to reach their destination and in turn they are driving demand for our London Heathrow Chauffeur service. If they stay at home, essential production ceases or runs in to trouble.
Heathrow Offers Direct Flights
Consumers need products and as such, specialist staff and senior managers must ensure there is continuity. Some things have changed though. Passengers now prefer direct flights. They will rarely opt for two (or more) flights to a destination. Transitioning through a European or Middle East airport is just too much of a risk with the current quarantine rules.
In the past, DrivenByQ peaked at around 100 journeys a week to (and from) Manchester International Airport. Right now, with such limited flight availability and reduced destination options, passengers are flying from London Heathrow Airport. There are daily shuttle flights from Manchester airport to Heathrow, but passengers prefer to spend more time in a car than an airport.
Like most chauffeur companies our volumes may be down by 90% of usual. Luckily, the longer trips to Heathrow (and even Gatwick) Airport are increasing the customer spend per journey. Each month is still a fine balance but working as a London Heathrow Chauffeur ensures DrivenByQ is surviving and not witnessing the substantial losses of 2020.