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Why Uma Thurman, arriving at T5, wants to kill Will
Dick Murray, Transport Editor05.06.08
Uma Thurman looked angry and upset today as she flew into Heathrow's Terminal 5 from New York.
The star of the Kill Bill films and Pulp Fiction suffered a "double whammy" of problems. First her flight was delayed for an hour at New York's JFK airport, then her bags took up to 30 minutes for collection at T5.
She hurried through the arrivals concourse - guided by a BA "minder" - with her hands covering her face and refusing to talk.
Although there was no repeat of the baggage handling chaos that marred the opening of the £4.3billion terminal in March, some passengers - including Thurman - still had a long wait for their bags today.
It would have been a tense day for British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh, as 30 long-haul flights being switched to T5 today meant an extra 8,000 passengers and 9,400 bags.
The indicator boards showed that it had taken up to an hour to get baggage from aircraft to carousels. But BA said there was a fault with the indicator screens and that the actual average time had been 30 minutes.
There was a particular problem with a flight from Zurich - BA709 - with passengers having to wait up to an hour and four minutes. But a BA spokeswoman said this was because of a problem getting one particular luggage container out of the aircraft hold. She added: "This affected 12 passengers, we gave them the option of either waiting for their bags or we would sent them on."
Airport owners BAA warned travellers arriving at T5 that it could take up to an hour to clear customs, security and collect their baggage. BA said their target was a maximum of 45 minutes.
A senior manager of a major rival airline said it was "ridiculous" that it could take so long to collect baggage. He said: " To say it can take up to 60 minutes is quite ridiculous. The whole point of T5 was that it was supposed to be a speedy and seamless experience for travellers. Sixty minutes is far too long for a new terminal costing £4.3billion."
He added: "That is the trouble with such a large terminal. It doesn't work for the passenger. I regularly use T3 and always get through in 15 to 20 minutes."
However, despite the delays today, BA bosses would have been breathing a collective sigh of relief. The country's largest carrier was on tenterhooks as it switched flights to its new home.
In March BA and BAA caused national embar rassme n t when the opening of the new terminal went horribly wrong. Hundreds of flights were cancelled when the baggage system broke. But passengers on the first of the transferred flights to arrive today - at 5.30am from Lagos 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."
Reader views (2)
Glad to see those Airport fees are really paying off!
With all that cash and All the technology why do we have to deal with such massive delays! It is a shame that there is no one who can help UK passengers claim for the inconvenience caused by BAA and get claim back those wasted fees given to the airport.
- Phil, London
Lucky Uma didn't protest like the other superstar Naomi Campbell or BA would of had her arrested!
Looks like the only way BA have their ugly greenhouse running is they are working with unlimited overtime at Heathrow for any staff member wanting to work in baggage.
So looks like BA bribes have done plastered over the problems but the money will dry up the overtime will stop and all the delays will return.
- Mark Heller, Manchester
