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03/11/2008
Terminal 5 Opening: A 'National Embarrassment'
The catastrophic opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 has been described a "national embarrassment" by MPs.
The House of Commons Transport Committee said the opening, which had numerous problems - including cancelled flights and thousands of bags going missing - showed "serious failings" by airport operator BAA and British Airways (BA).
The chaos, which saw flights cancelled, long queues and lost luggage "could, and should, have been avoided through better preparation and more effective joint working".
"What should have been an occasion of national pride was in fact an occasion of national embarrassment," the committee's chairman Louise Ellman MP said.
A number of problems occurred when the £4.3m terminal opened in March this year, most of which were caused by insufficient communication between BA and BAA and poor staff training and system testing by BA, the committee said.
On the first day of opening a total of 36,584 passengers were "frustrated by the 'Heathrow hassle' that T5 had been designed to eliminate", the report said.
It continued: "When the baggage system failed, luggage piled up to such an extent that it was transported by road to be sorted off-site. According to BA, 23,205 bags required manual sorting before being returned to their owners."
The committee held two sessions investigating the chaotic opening. The first was on May 7.
The report said: "We were concerned that during our first evidence session, representatives from BAA were unhelpful and ill-prepared. They provided us with no satisfactory explanation as to how this national embarrassment had been allowed to unfold."
A BAA spokesman said: "We note the findings of the transport select committee, and apologise again that the opening of T5 in March failed to live up to passengers' and our expectations."
(JM)
The House of Commons Transport Committee said the opening, which had numerous problems - including cancelled flights and thousands of bags going missing - showed "serious failings" by airport operator BAA and British Airways (BA).
The chaos, which saw flights cancelled, long queues and lost luggage "could, and should, have been avoided through better preparation and more effective joint working".
"What should have been an occasion of national pride was in fact an occasion of national embarrassment," the committee's chairman Louise Ellman MP said.
A number of problems occurred when the £4.3m terminal opened in March this year, most of which were caused by insufficient communication between BA and BAA and poor staff training and system testing by BA, the committee said.
On the first day of opening a total of 36,584 passengers were "frustrated by the 'Heathrow hassle' that T5 had been designed to eliminate", the report said.
It continued: "When the baggage system failed, luggage piled up to such an extent that it was transported by road to be sorted off-site. According to BA, 23,205 bags required manual sorting before being returned to their owners."
The committee held two sessions investigating the chaotic opening. The first was on May 7.
The report said: "We were concerned that during our first evidence session, representatives from BAA were unhelpful and ill-prepared. They provided us with no satisfactory explanation as to how this national embarrassment had been allowed to unfold."
A BAA spokesman said: "We note the findings of the transport select committee, and apologise again that the opening of T5 in March failed to live up to passengers' and our expectations."
(JM)
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16 May 2008
BA Announce Soaring Profits
British Airways has announced a significant rise in profits despite the botched opening of Terminal 5. BA has reported that revenue is up 3.1% to £8,753 and two million passengers have passed through T5 since it's opening. Staff are also set to share a £35 million bonus. BA say that they expect revenue for the full year to be up by around 4%.
BA Announce Soaring Profits
British Airways has announced a significant rise in profits despite the botched opening of Terminal 5. BA has reported that revenue is up 3.1% to £8,753 and two million passengers have passed through T5 since it's opening. Staff are also set to share a £35 million bonus. BA say that they expect revenue for the full year to be up by around 4%.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
