Heathrow Airport, Synthesis of passenger needs, 2018 - 2026

Summary: 

In 2016, the UK Civil Aviation Authority moved to outcome-based regulation for Heathrow, meaning its consumer outcomes must be clearly grounded in evidence of passenger needs. To support this shift, Heathrow commissioned Blue Marble to develop a transparent evidence synthesis of passenger needs. Since 2018, we have delivered five cycles of analysis and are currently undertaking the sixth, reviewing over 500 sources to date. Our work ensures Heathrow’s outcomes framework is based on a comprehensive and defensible understanding of passenger needs across the entire journey - to, from and within the airport. The methodology and outputs have been subject to detailed scrutiny by the regulator, Heathrow’s independent review bodies and airline stakeholders.

Approach:

We apply a robust methodology to systematically review and analyse the full body of passenger research.

1. Developing the code frame

   We defined the core passenger need areas and created a thematic framework to structure the synthesis, ensuring consistency across review cycles.

   
   

2. Systematic review and evidence logging

   We review and assess all relevant research sources, categorising findings against the agreed need areas. The framework is applied consistently across waves, with minor refinements where needed. All evidence is recorded in a comprehensive Evidence Register to ensure transparency and scrutiny.

   
   

3. Analysis

   We analyse the evidence need-by-need to identify key themes, emerging priorities and areas of change. Wave-on-wave comparison helps distinguish between temporary shifts and enduring changes, and highlights gaps in the evidence base.

Outcomes:

The synthesis has been used within the regulatory process to evidence and refine Heathrow’s outcomes framework and associated performance metrics. It has demonstrated how passenger needs have evolved over time, particularly during and after the pandemic, distinguishing between temporary disruption and lasting change. At each stage, we have produced summary presentations and formal reports suitable for regulatory submission. We have also supported Heathrow in developing interactive resources to share the findings in a practical and accessible format.