World Duty Free and BAA at the epicentre of the threat to trans-Atlantic air travel are contributing E.50,000 to the European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) campaign to influence the debate and regulations surrounding the new

security measures affecting duty free sales and transit passengers.
BAA's seven UK airports have all introduced the new regulations which followed the heightened threat to aviation security on August 10 and which translated into new EU-wide security rules on November 6 2006.’Our airports and our retail business had no transition period to an enhanced security regime, and our retail businesses were plunged overnight into a new operating environment,’ said World Duty Free Managing Director Mark Riches.
‘We have actively supported the ETRC-led campaign from the beginning of this challenging period and will continue to do so. Our contribution of E.50,000 is over and above the ongoing – and almost full-time – work carried out by Sarah Branquinho (BAA/WDF), who has worked tirelessly alongside ETRC President Frank O?Connell (Aer Rianta Retail), to protect airside retail?s interests within the new regime,’ he said.
Comment: Mark Riches' final comment is well made and the industry is extremely fortunate to have the services of Branquinho and O'Connell ‘effectively free’. Others, like Jacques Parson of Kapp? and Gebr Heinemann are also working selflessly on this issue and their quiet work in the background – along with others – is much to be admired.