U.S. airline boss brands 'dump' Heathrow the 'worst airport in Europe'

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Don Langford, head of customer services Europe for American Airlines, delivered an outspoken attack on the west London airport, saying it was a "bit of a dump" that suffered from a lack of investment.

The comments come as Heathrow attempts to rebuild its reputation after the opening of the £4.3 billion Terminal 5 saw tens of thousands of bags lost and dozens of flights delayed.

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Fed-up: Travellers faced huge delays at Heathrow's Terminal 5

Mr Langford told BBC Radio 4 that Heathrow was the worst of all European destinations his company flies to.

He told the broadcaster: "Heathrow is not just bursting at the seams. I think the seams have burst.

"If you look at the fabric of the building, if you look at where customers check in - missing light bulbs, duck tape on the floor.

"I would have to say that Heathrow is in many ways the worst of all the airports that my company flies to in Europe."

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Chaos: Many customers have had to wait weeks for their luggage to be returned to them after the fiasco at Terminal 5

But Heathrow operator BAA said things were improving and it would invest £4bn over five years to improve the airport.

BAA's corporate affairs director Tom Kelly told the BBC: "This is an airport which was designed for something like 45 million passengers - we have now got 65 million.

"We are investing £4bn over the next five years.....you've got to realise that if you are going to invest that kind of money it takes time to put things right."