InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

News Story

 09 May 2008 22:41 BST

Cancellations and disruption at Terminal 5 set to continue

Saturday, 29 Mar 2008 08:37
Flight cancellations continue at Terminal 5
Cancellations and disruptions are set to continue at Heathrow's new Terminal 5 on Sunday and into next week.

British Airways (BA), the only airline using the terminal, has said that it plans on operating around 85 per cent of its flights to and from the new building today, with 37 being cancelled.

The airline also said that for Monday and Tuesday there were plans to run 87 per cent of Terminal 5 services.

The new £4.3 billion terminal has had a disastrous opening week with huge passenger queues, back-logs of baggage and over 200 flights being cancelled.

The problems have been blamed on difficulties in getting baggage-handling staff to the terminal which led to extensive delays in baggage passing from the terminal to the aircraft, which in turn led to delays at the check-in desks.

As a result, it was reported on Saturday night that some 15,000 bags had been left stranded at the airport after passengers were told to board aircraft without their luggage.

It had originally been planned for BA to move its long-haul operations across from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 next month, plans which may now be delayed.

"We haven't said we will alter the original plan," said a BA spokesman.

"But obviously, in the light of what has happened in the last few days, it is prudent to review the situation."

The airline was also forced to back down on its £100 limit for hotel bills for delayed passengers, claiming yesterday it would now consider "any reasonable accommodation cost".

The British Chamber of Commerce has called Heathrow's new terminal a "PR disaster for London and the UK". End of story

More headline news... 

Also In The News 

© 2008 Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use