London airports coping with post-Olympic rush

As thousands of Olympic athletes leave London for the journey home Heathrow airport has set up a special terminal to deal with check-in and baggage requirements. Over 10,000 athletes and Olympic officials are expected to use the facility, many of whom have oversized, overweight baggage.

To speed check-in some luggage was collected overnight from the Olympic village, which is on the opposite side of the city to London’s main Heathrow airport.

The special terminal area at Heathrow, designed as a London park, has been set up with 31 check-in desks and seven security lanes. Althletes are being encouraged to leave their comments and feelings about the Olympics on a memory tree sited in the fake park.

As well as the athletes London airports are expected to have to cope with about 110,000 visitors leaving the city at the end of the Olympics. Heathrow, which normally copes with about 95,000 departures a day, is expected to have to deal with more flights than Gatwick.