Disastrous debut for London Heathrow's new Terminal 5

28 March 2008

London: First day of operations at London Heathrow's freshly inaugurated, $8.6 billion, Terminal 5 facility turned out to be disastrous for the operators, BAA and sole-users, British Airways (BA), as well as the passengers, who waited hours for their baggage or to board their flights, most of which got canceled anyway.

The first day was blighted by numerous technical problems, including that of the much publicized high-tech baggage handling system, geared to handle 12,000 pieces of luggage every hour. BA canceled 34 flights and suspended all baggage check-in after 5 pm, which forced passengers to opt between boarding with only carry-on bags or re-booking their flights.

BA director of operations, Gareth Kirkwood, said: "We sincerely apologize to those customers who have suffered disrupted journeys or baggage delays. We always knew the first day would represent a unique challenge."

Ironically, airport operator BAA and British Airways have been awaiting the launch of the new luggage system to improve the reputation of the airport, which has earned the nickname "Hassle Heathrow."

It appears that a three-step failure put the computer-controlled baggage system under pressure. With baggage handlers delaying unloading of aircraft, the baggage already on the conveyors piled up, putting pressure back to the point where new passengers arriving at the terminal were trying to check-in with their luggage. Large groups of arriving passengers found themselves waiting for as long as two hours, and also a number of flights departed before checked baggage could be loaded.

Late in the day, the computer controlling the system shut down operations completely because conveyors were filled to capacity.