Keep Calm And Carry On

May 29, 2012
The real Olympics take place this summer at Heathrow.

Our headline comes from a poster hung up around Britain at the beginning of World War II to bolster morale. In other words, keep a stiff upper lip. The Nazis might be dropping bombs on London every night, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find the time to have a cup of tea.

The phrase became popular again in 2000 and can be found on any number of items, ranging from doormats to baby bibs – although you have to figure that last item is more for the parents than the one adorned.

So I wonder if any of these posters are hanging up at Heathrow Airport. Although we’ve written about this before, a real Olympian task during the Summer Games will be done by Heathrow’s baggage crews.

During a dry run last Wednesday, baggage handlers dealt with more than 3,000 bags between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Airport officials said this scenario would replicate what’s expected during the busiest days for the Olympics.

Around 80 percent of all visitors expected to attend the London games will pass through Heathrow. On Aug. 13 – the day after the closing ceremony – an extra 30,000 people and 50,000 bags will pass through the airport.

There won’t be any gold medals handed out for this relay race. But come to think of it we have batted around the idea of holding a GSE Olympics at next year’s trade show, AviationPros LIVE. So until then, keep calm and carry on.