Hunted's Danni Brooke seeks out Airport Dads

Hunted’s Danni Brooke has been training Heathrow Airport volunteers to spot Airport Dads in a bid to curb holiday tension.

The former undercover cop has sent a memo to the Here to Help team to teach them the key signs of the TikTok sensation #airportdad – the person in any holiday party taking on most of the responsibility of getting everyone away together – in order to reach out and help them de-stress.

She said: “I’ve spent my career building the skills it takes to analyse a person through their body language, and act on the situation before it escalates.

“While Airport Dads may not be doing anything criminal, it can certainly feel that way to families who are just looking to relax and enjoy a much-needed break.

“Now, the Heathrow team have all the skills they need to spot these Airport Dads before they share their stress with their whole party, ensuring their holidays start from the moment they step into the airport.”

The newly-named Airport Dad Deactivation team will offer frazzled travellers vouchers for free food, drinks, facials at Kiehl’s and even premium lounge access in a bid to cut rows before the holidays have even begun.

In addition, new signage has been posted throughout the airport’s terminals to warn the public to be on alert for potential Airport Dads.

Research commissioned by Heathrow found the top traits of an airport dad include

keeping hold of the family’s passports (35 per cent), constantly checking the time (34 per cent), and taking charge of getting everyone to the airport (33 per cent) and come after videos with the hashtag #airportdad hit over 280 million views on TikTok.

The initiative will be in place until 31 August.

Heathrow is also encouraging kids to take clandestine footage of their Airport Dads in action under the hashtags #Heathrow #AirportDad in an effort to raise awareness of the phenomenon.

Travellers can take advantage of Heathrow’s other initiatives to make travelling easier for families, including the Kids Eat Free offer – available at selected restaurants across terminals – and free Heathrow Express tickets for children under 15.