LHR T5. Launch Day Blues

[Blue Peter]

The lead story on the news bulletins here in the UK has been the, ahem, "challenges" that operating T5 for the first time in anger has presented to BA.

The handling of baggage seems to have been the main problem, but supposedly staff were unfamilair with the new systems and were unable to log-in etc. This comes on top of BAA's announcement yesterday that they are not implementing the fingerprinting of transfer passengers to domestic flights.

For all the trials that have taken place with volunteeers and bags testing the systems, it's defies beleif that so much could have gone wrong. Another milestone PR event for BA.

Telegraph newspaper online leads with this as, I'm sure, do most of the UK papers. Not sure what the impact will be for anyone coming in long haul. The worst affected seem to have been domestic / short haul passengers, but as they finally threw in the towel and closed the baggage check-ins this evening, it was having a big effect. A productive night's work may bring it all round!

 

[serfty]

Heathrow T5 baggage check-ins closed:

... the entire baggage system crashed because it was unable to handle the amount of in and outbound luggage.

With the belts already running at capacity, the computerised network shut them down to allow the backlog to be cleared.

It led to even greater chaos in the terminal with passengers queuing up to 20 deep at check in desks in the hope that they might be able to board their flight. ...

 

[Mal]

15,000 bags lost or stuck at Heathrow | The Courier-Mail

"BRITISH Airways admitted today that 15,000 bags are lost or stuck at London Heathrow airport's new terminal, adding to the frustrations of passengers already hit by severe delays and cancelled flights."

 

[pax1a]

How can places like Hong Kong and KLIA get it so right and the poms get it so wrong?

At least the “one bag carry on policy” at Heathrow has been fixed over the past few months. What a mind-numbingly stupid policy that one was. Only 1 carry bag, regardless of class of travel, and no exception. 1 suit pack or 1 laptop bag or 1 trolley bag. No exceptions.

Stupid Stupid bureaucrats. I do hope there is a transit lounge purgatory for people who dream up these policies and I get to man the x-ray machine with a trusty pair of rubber gloves! (Ok I’m a bit bitter and twisted)

 

[Mal]

How can places like Hong Kong and KLIA get it so right and the poms get it so wrong?

Both HKIA and KLIA which opened about a week apart in 1998 were plagued with opening dramas including missing baggage, breakdowns of equipment and other confusion. Admittedly they both sorted out the issues well and are great airports now, whereas Heathrow is just a constant mess.

 

[dot]

From what I hear, we can expect to see considerable delays associated with T5 (not baggage - hopefully they will clear those problems up before I go through LHR next month).

My Brother in-law is a First Officer for BA (777) - he tells me that with flights moving from the existing T1, T2 and T4 (not to mention LGW), there will not be enough gates at T5 and he expects delays on arrival to LHR in waiting for available gates (already a problem at busy times) - there are fewer gates at T5 than at T1, T2 and T4 combined. He expects this to be an ongoing problem until the new terminal is built on the ashes of T1, T2, T3 (I can't remember which of them are getting demolished)

BA internally have been claiming that T5 is the panacea for all BA's woes. Cabin crew aren't getting enough time for breaks on flight? T5 will fix it! The M25 is clogged, T5 will fix it! Global warming, T5 will fix it!

My BIL also tells me that cabin crew were given a paid day to get familiar with T5, yet flight crew were sent an email with a map - so the flight crew are less than enthused about the whole T5 thing...

 

[Keith009]

As with the opening of any new terminal I did expect some teething problems with the T5 opening. But the sheer scale of this cough up is way beyond what I'd expected, even for LHR.

 

[Tooner]

One of my team was due to fly from LHR to HKG on the opening day BA31 at 9pm I think). She spent 7 hours at LHR waiting, then went back to check in a hotel. Flew QF the next day.

She ended up on the cover of the Daily Telegraph and The Times the next day!

 

[QF WP]

Gee, some people are quick off the mark.

Play the Wee Willie Walsh game - help him get baggage to the scanners and then up to the baggage conveyor belt, all the while avoiding the trolleys.

A brilliant parody...

 

[QF WP]

The boss of British Airways Willie Walsh has said sorry for the chaos at Heathrow's new $US8.6B Terminal Five, admitting that "we disappointed many people."...

 

[thegurio]

Gee, some people are quick off the mark.

Play the Wee Willie Walsh game - help him get baggage to the scanners and then up to the baggage conveyor belt, all the while avoiding the trolleys.

A brilliant parody...

So cmon everyone... whats your best - dont tell me you havent done it!!!

180.62

 

[QF WP]

Yes. Mine is 182.46 at present

another excellent review of T5 can be found here

 

[Mal]

113.18 is my best so far. Can't work out how anyone could get sub 50 seconds though!

 

[thegurio]

113.18 is my best so far. Can't work out how anyone could get sub 50 seconds though!

Slow week?

 

[Mal]

Slow week?

Well it was raining in Brisbane today

 

[JohnK]

Teething problems considered, how can they lose or misplace that many bags?

On second thoughts I have witnessed the unclaimed baggage area in ATH. Not a pretty sight. :-|

 

[Blue Peter]

I think the problem was that they were relieving passengers of their bags at check-in but failing to load them onto any aircraft. Once the baggage system was at melt-down they had to stop accepting any more.

T5 has been back in the news again today as two BA exec left their posts - Ops Director and Customer Service Director. Just to add fuel to the fire some insurers have been saying they won't offer new cover for lost bags at T5 and will send the bill to BA for the ones they do pay out on.
Willie Walsh is holding onto his post for the moment, but if they stuff up the, now delayed, relocation from 4 to 5 he'll struggle.

Funnily enough, I was at T5 last week in the middle of the day and the place seem deserted. To my eye more BA staff that passengers, though I did only see the departure concourse. Have to make a day trip out of there next week, so will be interested to see a little more. Fortunately, I am planning to take no luggage whatsoever.

 

[QF WP]

British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh has said the company failed to predict the problems that blighted the opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5....

 

[QF WP]

Service at Heathrow is a national embarrassment, the head of the International Air Transport Association says....