A £9m experiment allowing airline passengers to check in for Heathrow flights before leaving central London could face the axe, airport operator BAA has admitted, because not enough people are using it.
A row of 27 check-in desks at Paddington station was among the centrepiece of BAA's "flight plan for the 21st century" when it opened in 1999. It was intended to be followed by similar services at St Pancras and Hayes, with desks at Liverpool Street serving Stansted airport.
BAA, however, intends to "review" its future next year after the withdrawal of leading airlines, who say the take-up of the facility has failed to justify its cost.
The state-of-the-art check-in hall is handling around 450,000 passengers a year - an average of only 45 per desk, per day.
British Airways, which accounts for half the passengers checking in at Paddington, quietly announced last month that it was going to stop using it at the end of July. American Airlines and United Airlines withdrew following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Once BA withdraws, the only airlines still using the desks will be 11 Star Alliance carriers - including BMI British Midland, US Airways, Air Canada and Austrian Airlines.
A spokesman for Heathrow Express, which is owned by BAA, said the check-in facility would be reviewed "from top to bottom" in 2004, with all options considered - including closing it or slimming it down.
BAA had hoped it would be a pioneering service. It was supposed to smooth the path of business travellers, allowing them to get rid of their luggage before boarding trains to Heathrow.
Heathrow Express's spokesman insisted the service did have benefits saying it helped to relieve overcrowding at Heathrow. "The facility has, and continues to reduce the demands on check-in at the airport."
The Heathrow Express train service, which is operated by BAA, has proved more successful - it carried five million people last year and made a profit of £9m. But it has been criticised for its fares - a standard-class return ticket costs £25, while a first-class return trip is £42 for a 15-minute journey each way - making the service one of the world's most expensive overground railway per mile.
