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So far so good as BA moves long-haul services to T5
Dick Murray, Transport Editor5 Jun 2008
British Airways today breathed a collective sigh of relief as a major transfer of long-haul flights to Terminal 5 appeared successful.
The country's largest carrier was on tenterhooks as it switched 30 flights - along with 7,000 passengers carrying 4,000 bags - to its new £4.3billion home.
In March BA and T5 owner BAA caused national embarrassment when the opening of the new terminal went horribly wrong. Hundreds of flights were cancelled when the baggage system broke.
What a difference a few weeks - and proper staff training - make. Passengers on the first of the transferred flights to arrive, from Lagos and smack on 5.30am as scheduled, had only praise.
Kathleen Mazey, 46, from High Wycombe, who had been visiting her sister in Lagos, said: "There was no problem at all. I collected my bags without any bother."
Anthony Braimah, 36, a conveyancer from Milton Keynes, said: "I timed how long it took - just seven minutes. A good trip." A relieved BA spokeswoman said: "So far so good. We are obviously pleased that our passengers received a much improved service."
The number of flights increased today from 394 to 424. BA expects about 50,000 passengers to arrive and depart. There were plenty of BA and BAA staff in evidence, ready to help out in case things went wrong.
