Terminal chaos

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KNOCK-ON EFFECT: BAA has confirmed the delay of T5’s long-haul services on its website.

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POSITIVE ATTITUDE: Despite the delays, British Airways believes T5 will eventually be viewed as one of the best airports in the world.

Following the disastrous opening of Terminal 5, Airport Middle East discusses the fall of British Airways and its road to recovery.

Between extreme weather and emergency crash landings, British Airways had already experienced its fair share of crises this year. The long anticipated move to Terminal 5 was meant to be the start of a new era for Britain's national carrier.

But despite months of preparation, the new hub was plagued with problems from the outset and its inauguration did not go according to the airline's carefully laid out plan. However, according to its Middle East and Pakistan commercial manager, Paul Starrs, customers in the region should not be concerned.

Ongoing struggles with the baggage handling system have led to delays in the transfer of its long-haul flights to the new building, meaning aircraft will continue to depart from T4 as normal. Starrs regards the deferral as a blessing in disguise.

I'm concerned that people won't be booking with us, that's why I'm pleased that we've decided to delay the flight switch. The short-haul operation that moved into T5 wasn't up to the standard people wanted from the carrier and this will enable us to carry on with the expected level of service."

He adds that although a small number of passengers with connecting flights in Terminal 5 have experienced difficulties, for the majority it has been plain sailing. When the hub chaos hit the headlines last month, the airline was widely criticised by the media for biting off more than it could chew.

To rectify the situation, the delay of the long-haul services has been publicised on the British Airports Authority (BAA) website by chief executive Willie Walsh.

We are making this decision in the interest of our customers," he says. "Although Terminal 5 is now working well, we need to have confidence that good service can be maintained when the terminal is handling large numbers of customers.

As of yet, there are no precise dates for the switch, although the company has said the move will be broken down into phases to avoid any further disruptions. In addition, BA is working hard to ensure customers are fully informed about their flights.

We need to communicate changes to customers because one of the things that will be impacted by this is the timing of connections," says Starrs.

Many customers thought they were flying into T5 and they're now flying into T4, so we're busy calling all those customers, amending the bookings and basically letting everybody know which terminal they will use.

Thankfully operations between T4 and T5 are running smoothly, with a bus service in place to ferry passengers between terminals.

None the less, several other airlines have argued that BA's mismanagement of the Terminal 5 move has put them at a disadvantage. "It's an absolutely outrageous announcement by BAA and done with no thought, consideration or consultation of any airline other than BA," says Nigel Turner, CEO of BMI, London Heathrow's second biggest airline. "The sequence of moves affects over 50 airlines, including BMI at Heathrow.

The programme and timescale of changes was agreed in joint consultation with all airlines that are now geared up to undertake the moves as agreed."

He argues that BAA is treating airlines and passengers with contempt and that the company has no consideration for the consultation process that took "considerable time" to finalise in terms of terminal moves.

Colin Matthews, BAA's chief executive, says that the company will do everything possible to minimise the knock-on effects the delay may cause. "BAA regrets this postponement, and we recognise the impact it has on other airlines.

But we believe it is a wise precaution to ensure that passengers can have the maximum confidence once the move does take place.

He adds that although BAA recognises that Terminal 5's inauguration did not go to plan, passengers have seen considerable improvements since the first few days of opening.

The baggage handling system, which was supposed to be the largest and most sophisticated in Europe, remains the biggest crisis for BA. The high-tech computer controlled system should be able to handle 12,000 bags per hour and passengers were told they could deposit their luggage in one of 96 fast bag drops situated around the airport.

To speed up the process further, the airport has deployed lifts which are designed to drop the bags into an 18km network of belts and tracks.

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