From Bad To Worse - Heathrow Terminal 5 Shambles As Baggage System Collapses

Thursday 27th March 2008

The first day of Heathrow Airports Terminal 5 has ended in a shambles as flights were cancelled and passengers were taking off without baggage.

In total 34 flights were cancelled today and many passengers had to wait up to 3 hours to get their baggage. In the end some disgruntled passengers had to leave Terminal 5 with no baggage at all. At lunchtime BA began cancelling some shorthaul flights to mainland Europe and Scotland and by 4pm flights to Brussels, Edinburgh and Amsterdam had been taking off with no passenger luggage on board.

The brand new baggage system at Heathrow Terminal 5 was supposed to make delays and lost luggage a thing of the past however workers turning up today were not able to log into the system and discovered that they had not been given adequate training on how to operate the system. Reports also indicate that some baggage handlers were not able to get into the airport car park in time or get security screened adding to the lack of staff able to sort the baggage.

Flights have ended up stuck on the aprons due to baggage not being unloaded from them and this had contributed to the cancellations and delays. Airport protestors also chose today to stage a protest against proposed airport expansion and a possible third runway at the airport which fortunately was peaceful.

A BA spokesperson responded to the criticisms by stating, "We have had a few minor problems in our first day of operation in T5. It is not unexpected following one of the most complex and largest airport moves in history. These teething problems have included car parking provision for staff, delays in staff security screening and staff familiarisation with the terminal. We have also had some baggage performance issues. These also are being resolved. The average customer has given us a very positive reaction to T5, which we know will be a resounding success."

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