Audio:
Day 1 at Heathrow
Thousands of families heading on holiday this weekend face chaos after
Heathrow’s new £4.3 billion terminal was reduced to a shambles on its
opening day by the complete failure of its baggage system.
British Airways will begin today to wrestle with a huge backlog of passengers,
many of them left stranded at Terminal 5 overnight, after the airline
cancelled at least 34 flights. So far today 44 flights into T5 have also
been cancelled.
BA, the sole occupant of the new terminal, suspended baggage check-in shortly
before 5pm and dozens of flights departed half-empty last night carrying
only those passengers who had only hand luggage. Passengers on in-bound
flights had to wait up to four hours for bags to be unloaded.
The problems, which BA blamed on staff not being familiar with new systems,
forced many outgoing travellers to abandon their plans and head home, or
seek hotel accommodation in the hope that they could be included in flight
schedules today. Passengers were handed letters from the airline saying that
it was unable to provide them with hotel rooms but would consider
reimbursing them for “some out-of-pocket expenses”.
The disastrous opening was a severe embarrassment for BA and BAA, the
Spanish-owned company that operates Heathrow. Both had spent five years
claiming that the new terminal would transform passengers’ experience of
Heathrow and work efficiently from Day 1. Last night they blamed each other
for the chaos inside Britain’s biggest free-standing building, which was
opened by the Queen in a lavish ceremony two weeks ago.
BAA claimed that the baggage system was working properly but had become
clogged with bags because BA had too few staff to unload them from conveyor
belts. BA said that BAA had provided too few security staff to process its
baggage handlers as they arrived for work.
More than an hour after suspending baggage check-in, BA issued advice to
passengers telling them to turn up with only hand luggage. By then,
thousands of people were already at the terminal with large cases that they
could neither check in nor leave behind. A queue of more than 100 people
wound back from the cancellation flights desk as people lined up to try to
get refunds or rebook.
BA was still e-mailing regular passengers yesterday promising that it would
take less than ten minutes to check in and get through security. It had also
pledged to halve the number of lost bags.
BAA had claimed that the baggage system was the most advanced in the world,
with belts travelling at 23mph and capable of handling 12,000 bags an hour.
The system had been operating in test mode with thousands of dummy bags for
the past 18 months.
BA had been preparing for the switch to Terminal 5 for three years and claimed
that it had trained thousands of staff on the new systems. But many were
delayed after being unable to park their cars or to find their way to their
work stations. Several lifts were also out of action and screens were
wrongly showing that gates had closed when no one had yet boarded.
Sir George Martin, the Beatles’ record producer, was among those caught up in
the difficulties. He and Lady Martin had arrived about two hours before
their flight to Zurich only to find that it was over-booked. Sir George
said: “I was very excited about the new terminal, but not now.”
Melanie Browden, who arrived from Los Angeles, said: “I was waiting for three
and a half hours for my bag. There was no information, I asked a manager
what was going on and they laughed at me, telling me, ‘This is what happens
with a new terminal’.”
In the long queue for those who had missed or had flights cancelled were
Walter Henry, 66, a retired university lecturer from Holloway, North London,
and his wife, Helen. Mr Henry said he had arrived in good time for a flight
to Basle only to be “given six different directions from six different
people to the departure lounge”.
Hertz Merkel, a German businessman flying to Düsseldorf, said: “This is real
British organisation for you. I’ve only got hand baggage but I still have to
stand in the same queue. It doesn’t look like I’ll be getting home today.”
A BA spokesman said: “We sincerely apologise to customers who have suffered
disrupted journeys or baggage delays. We are working extremely hard on
solutions to these short-term difficulties.”
One BA insider told how baggage came off the first flight from Hong Kong only
because senior managers had helped to unload them from the aircraft.
Having been on one of the T5 trials, I can't say I am surprised. I travel regularly through Gatwick North and have a continuouse onesided correspondence with BAA - I write the e-mail they acknowledge it remotely, and I never hear anything else. Mostly it's to do with poor signage - in my opinion, it's been a problem at Gatwick since at least 1976, but management don't seem to think that "customers" need to be able to find their way around these hostile places. T5 signage was just as bad, and after my trial visit on 14/02/08 I sent my observations as requested, but as I expected I have had no follow up. Incidentally on the day we were trialling, the baggage system had failed, so we just bypassed that stage. I guess we could and should have known it would go wrong when they started usung it fo real
Janet Lyons, Basingstoke, Hants, UK,
I wait in interest for the Olympics in 2012
David, Somerset,
No surprise it did not go to plan, all management should be sacked no excuses, if they opened the doors then everything should have went according to plan. Sureley they ran the checks to make sure all systems were ready to go!
Also did the spend any money to train the staff on the use of the new equipment?
Britain must be the laughing stock of the World
due to bad Management .
Bill, Dundee, UK
So a major, multi million pound projects didn't work 100% correctly on the very first full load day. What do you all expect? Anyone who is involved in project engineering knows that even with all the testing and simulations being run over and over again, nothing beats a full load test. The results of those FL tests are then corrected and the work moves on.
Unfortunately, people being what they are, as soon as something goes wrong, the whole world collapses, nobody seems to have the ability to think for themselves and take responsibility for their own actions and lives. Get over it, you are still capable of getting to where you want to be. Many of us have been stranded in airports in some very inhospitable parts of the world, we survived.
As for all these new airports in other parts of the world, that opened without problems, maybe their "problems" weren't publicised (possibly not allowed to be).
Mal, Edmonton, Canada
Having recently flown through 4 BAA airports (LHR, LGW, GLA and STN) I am afraid the problem is bigger than just the Terminal 5 debacle. Overcrowded, badly planned and operated, perpetual construction sites with ill conceived and executed security and baggae arrangements everywhere - and that's just the sharp-end operations! The Ferrovial-led consortium is under-capitalized, under-funded despite some of the highest airport services charges in the world, and under.performing.
I have also put up with the perennial excuses from BA about their poor baggage delivery record, congested terminals, increasing costs and competition and rising fares and reduced cabin service.
I therefore think it is an excellent solution to separate these two entities from the real world of travel and isolate them at T5 where they can be avoided and left in quarantine. I only hope that their joint failings can be isolated at the other locations too.
Mike L, Chippenham, Wilts
If only the government would invite the people who run Changi airport in Singapore to take over at Heathrow,then we might know what a world class airport is like.
While they're at it get the Singaporeans to take over Transport for London too and perhaps we would have a decent tube system.
James, London,
QUOTE "Stuff happens, don't take it so personally.
Marcus, Perth, Australia" END QUOTE
Sure stuff happens, but for months, BA and BAA have been telling us what a wonderful experience it would be. If they hadn't been so arrogant and prepared a contingency plan, such as sending every office staff member to T5, or even booking lots of hotel rooms in advance, just in case, we would be a lot more understanding. They just made themselves look incompetent. Funny this stuff doesn't happen to Beijing, Singapore or even the new American Airlines Terminal in New York! When will the marquees first appear on the forecourt just like T4?
John, london, UK
Well if you have the two most inefficient companies in Europe running the show what else did people expect. Having travelled out of heathrow every weekend for 4 years mostly with BA and experienced the level of service provided by both it was obvious that theT5 opening would be a disaster.
Why on earth did they not have a staggered start with only 25% of flights moved across for the first 2 weeks and so on.
If the cause of the baggage problem is that there are too few baggage handlers BA needs to explain why they have been retrenching baggage handlers over the last year ahead of the T5 opening.
And through it all the staff have no clue what is going on.
There are no execuses the management of BA should resign over this and it should start from the top down.
Scott, London,
And these are the people who want us to trust them with our fingerprints!
Ian Graham, Orp-Jauche, Belgium
Heathrow Terminal 5 was not reduced to a shambles, Heathrow and BAA is a shambles, period. Terminal 5 will have little positive impact on travellers experience, the main problems are delays in arrival and departure which makes connecting flights in Heathrow a lottery. The poor transport infra-structure and traffic congestion in and around Heathrow exacerbate the problems. Heathrow is and will remain one of the last airports of choice for most seasoned travellers until they resolve the delays.
S.Hodson, Newbury, UK
In years to come there will be business school case studies based on the terminal 5 opening day - to teach the managers of the future how not to handle a major project! Those responsible for the terminal can have had nothing else on their minds for the last few years. They must have run countless reviews of all the factors they needed to get right to make the opening day a success. And still we got a monumental cock up!
What a humiliation for British management skills!
Kevin, Tonbridge, Kent
Nigel: Sorry to read about your loss. Perhaps your experience will remind you why you moved to Australia. Buy a good suit & send the bill to BA. (Don't expect to be reimbursed.) When I travel now, I only take a carry-on bag.
BigJake, New Jersey, USA
BA really should know by now how absolutely hopeless BAA are at running major airports.
BAAs focus on retail and profit above security and service has been a national disgrace for far too long.
They seem to be answerable to no-one and the airlines always pick up the rap from passengers. In my many experiences of disasters at Gatwick and Heathrow, airlines have compensated me even though the fault really was down to the airport operators.
This stems from the privatisation of BAA . The calibre of some people it hires often give the impression of Britain being a nation of brainwashed but opinionated thickies.
Speak to managers makes one wonder how they ever get a job.
They know all the excuses and all the regulations but cannot make a common sense decision. The lack of practical common sense at LHR, STD and LGW is so evident.
No wonder we are now referred to as third world country.
The one salvation is that most American airports are often worse.
Mike Brandt, London, England
I don't understand the concept of sending flights half empty (for only passengers with hold luggage). Thats ridiculous. If the baggage conveyer belt system failed, then the airline should arrange for some kind of electronic trolley system to put all the baggage from the check-in area to the tarmac to be loaded on the plane. How hard is that to arrange for some hefty baggage handlers to come up to the terminal and manually take 20 bags at a time to the plane themselves (after passing it through x-ray machines of course). Looks like BA employees have gotten their minds rusted with no quick thinking for alternative plans.
Ashwin, Bristol,
My daughter was at terminal 5 last night trying to get on her flight to Hong Kong. We received a call from her in HK at 4.30 am in the morning saying that it was complete chaos and she was unable to check in her suitcase. She had been told that she could try to find a hotel for herself and to see if there was a seat available tomorrow or leave her luggage behind and collect it when she returned. No assistance was given with this. She was then told that all left luggage storage facilities were full. Eventually she was helped by a policeman who directed her to a left luggage facility on the next floor. There were no BA staff around to answer queries and no proper management. She has left all her clothes and belongings behind and the man operating the left luggage facility ignored her question as to what the charges for left luggage would be. BA has got to take responsibility for this. There was no crisis management at Terminal 5.
J Waldron, Hong Kong , Hong Kong
I am not surprised to learn about the difficulties at Heathrow 5. I think that Heathrow is one of the worst major airpoints in the world - just come to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore to see effeciency!
charlton, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
How times have changed. I dreaded travelling to China 10 years ago. I carried nothing more than a hand luggage every time and was minded to squeeze in an extra set of clothes in case I got stranded. Now, I dread travelling to London.
Charles, Hong Kong,
Really sorry to see that happen at Heathrow. Living in Denver, Colorado in the states...our international airport here touted the same feature years ago...they sold the entire thing as scrap after being unable to get it to work after years and millions of dollars.
I have a feeling though the Brits will have much better luck then we did...and hopefully very soon it will be a model of technology and efficiency! Good luck.
Joshua Brock, Longmont, USA/Colorado
travelled from new terminal 3 at beijing international airport which was opened earlier this month. Wonderful experience. Maybe BA and/or BAA should send delegates to this terminal to appreciate how to look after their customers. If Beijing can maintain this standard for Olympic arrivals it will be an exceptional achievement.
p. lowes, barry, south wales
It just goes to prove (again) that big-bang go-lives are risky. Rather than this step change a lower risk approach would have seen a gradual handover of flights from the old terminals to T5. This gradual handover would have had a plausible roll-back plan but might have needed additional transition staff and equipment to cope with the parallel operations. Given the huge investment in T5, and all the congratulatory adverts in yesterday’s papers, it’s a great pity that basic project management has been seen to fail in such a public way.
andy johnson, bristol, avon
i am sorry for your troubles, the embarrasment, the hurt and harm that innocent passengers suffered but don't think it a reflection on the people of UK.
the BA and the BAA look to duck out by blaming each other;this is the essence of western business. it's no ones fault and the executives of the principles involved go on to collect their large bonuses and vacation in ports far from the mad crowds.
here in the USA in Dickens favorite town,Boston, we built a tunnel two miles long at an estimated cost of two billion dollars that ended up at yes, fifteen billion dollars and still climbing.
the tunnel is not only hideous and now filthy dirty, it leaks continually in many places, freezing in the winter; ice underground; blame has been cast all around like the rusting infrastructure leaking on the traffic below. talk about embarassment. the principles, politicans, designers all collecting their bonuses as well.
so UK we have much in common. what would happen if this occured in asia?hmm
richard l donahue, weymouth, ma
Any major project in Britain that HAS opened properly ?
I am sure though everything looked excellent in those spreadsheets used by 15 levels of management.
Mike, London,
How could anyone be surprised by this ?
BA knew the baggage system had problems a long time ago. Why else would they have announced "To enhance passenger experience you will only be allowed to check one bag when we open Terminal 5"
Robert Wilkinson, Phoenix, AZ
The British feel so much angst about things, it's not like anyone died, eh?
Remember when the roof collapsed on in the new terminal at Charles de Gaulle in 2004? Five people died. Then there was Hong Kong's airport back in 1997. There was chaos in luggage delivery and cracks appeared in the taxiways New airports in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Kansai also had their teething troubles.
Stuff happens, don't take it so personally.
Marcus, Perth, Australia
Simple .... I have a number of "golden rules" on travel, including ..... avoid using Brittish Airways (even if it means an extra hour or two flying to a European hub and then changing planes) ..... avoid Heathrow airport. I learnt these lessons 25 years ago and they have served me well ever since.
KJ, Kyiv,
Not a good advert for the UK,lets hope the olypics in 2012 fair better.
stephen hulton, eure, france
Well well well, what a mess after all the hype by BAA; how come the Asians can get things right first time? Even the Thais didn't screw up this bad on the opening of Suvarnabhumi and that was regarded as a national disaster
Peter, Bangkok,
Pure arrogance. The software programmers who would be content to take a fat wage and leave the boring testing to less important people.. the managers who dined out on their status and expected someone else to carry the can.. and lastly BAA who squeeze every penny out of the sheep who pass through, and who didn't consider the passengers important enough to worry much about.
Call Centre Britain's motto: "you can't legally blame us!" Radio adverts promising great service have 9 high speed gabbled disclaimers at the end.. phone calls are all routed to tape recorders full of disclaimers. The government's only response to degeneration and crime from decades of relentless, aggressive materialism is to make more prisoners and criminals out of people.
You're in Call Centre Britain: politically correct, emotionally numb. Put another band aid on the tumour! It's time this country stopped pretending to be superior and tried to learn from countries who really do work hard to succeed.
Iain Carstairs, Bedford, UK
When they fired up the new Denver Colorado airport, they hit snags like this. The rail car system that was supposed to move passengers and baggage between terminals didn't work quite right. They got the bugs worked out and it is pretty efficient nowadays.
Wes Byrd, Iowa City, Iowa
What a terrible terrible shame - it was Britain's chance to beam with pride and show the world how to do things properly. BAA, yes I blame BAA, have not only let themselves down but also the whole country. It is all over the world's press. Singapore recently opened a beautiful new Terminal of similar proportions and there was barely a blip on the radar. Changi Terminal 3 works, simple as that. You need to spend money and employ the right people to make it happen, not do it on a tight budget and hope for the best. I believe this is actually a bigger national embarrassment than rampant soccer fans on the continent. I do hope the British Olympic effort does not end up this way. They should take note.
Colin Suter, Ottawa, Canada
Typical. Heathrow is the worst major airport in the world. I've given up trying to take baggage through it. Haven't been through T5 yet, but I presume it is the usual overpriced shopping mall with some airport facilities tacked on as an afterthought. I think I paid 400 USD in "airport service charge" to go through it last time I flew that way. Bargain, eh?
Typical also of BA to say "oh this is what happens when you open a terminal". No it isn't. Why not go and see how the experts do it: Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok; Shanghai Pudong Terminal 2.
Warren, Shanghai,
typical it'll be great! it'll be fantastic! what a joke the british can't get anything done properly...
Barry, Chesham, Uk
Hi,
I was stuck in T5 for 5 hours this afternoon with my two young children and eventually gave up at 9 pm leaving my 3 bags there somewhere ?. I have come from Sydney via Tokyo for my dads funeral next week.
This shambles and lack of any kind of planned approach to deal with it is totally beyond belief. This terminal was not ready for operation, the staff didn't know what to do, they took forms and didnt give ref numbers, so now i can't trace bags, there were no messages, no senior staff on hand, no backup plan. What kind of project management was this ?
I have no clothes, no luggage and my fathers funeral to attend next Monday without any probable chance of getting back my belongings. All I have got is a nice card saying i'm one of the first 500 lucky people from Tokyo to arrive at T5.
I dont need a card thanks, I need my bags and my clothes. Others im sure are worse off than me. Someone very senior in BA & BAE should explain how on earth could this happen ?
Nigel
Nigel, Melanie & Daniel Curtis, Sydney, Australia
BA and BAA don't deserve to be in business!
I currently live in Beijing where 2 weeks ago they also opened a new terminal- much bigger then T5. It's fantastic and of course everything opened smoothly and works well.
What's happened to Britain? Where did it all go wrong?
David, Beijing, China