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1,000 bags are still going missing every day at T5
Dick Murray, Transport Editor10 Jul 2008
The full catalogue of errors that led to the shambolic opening of Heathrow's new £4.3billion Terminal 5 can be revealed today.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled and tens of thousands of bags went missing during a series of disasters on 27 March, which unions claimed could have been avoided.
It comes amid revelations today that British Airways is still losing almost 1,000 bags a day - in Terminal 5 alone - as passengers transfer between flights.
Unite union said the airline was losing on average 932 bags daily belonging to transfer passengers, with little end in sight.
National secretary Steve Turner said: "The system... is still resulting in significant numbers of bags not being reunited with passengers. It will happen today and it will happen tomorrow."
This amounts to around four per cent of transfer passengers regularly losing their bags at Terminal 5.
The airline refused to confirm the number, claiming it did not release daily figures, but said the situation was improving.
A BA spokeswoman said: "Our baggage performance at Heathrow is significantly better than it was this time last year. No airport or airline in the world will ever have a perfect baggage performance but T5 is already a great improvement on the way in which other terminals work at Heathrow."
The latest revelations came as airport operator BAA presented a list of shame to MPs at the Commons Transport Committee, detailing the problems with the terminal's opening.
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews blamed many of T5's opening problems on BA, amid revelations that staff had not been given proper training.
He said that although BAA "remains reluctant to engage in a blame game" it puts much of the responsibility on BA, but admitted that BA might have a "different viewpoint".
Mr Matthews revealed key talks between BA and BAA had broken down in the final stages before the opening, and also blamed construction overruns for the problems.
It also emerged that BA ground staff had not been given proper training on new systems, and that bosses had made a massive miscalculation in the number of staff who needing security checks.
Emergency contingency plans in case of problems were also given to the wrong people, meaning faults could not be rectified quickly on the day.
But union bosses immediately attacked BA and BAA, saying neither had given any consideration to their views.
Mr Turner said: "British Airways and BAA were working together over the opening but there was a complete failure to consult the trade unions."
Mr Matthews said a number of key factors had since been introduced. These included: improved monitoring of baggage-handling performance; and speeding up staff through security.
BA said overall performance had significantly improved since the opening of Terminal 5, but it admitted that staff training had not been as effective as hoped. A BA spokesman said: "The final sets of onsite training were, in hindsight, not as effective as they could have been, as they were in part compromised by delays to the building programme.
"Despite those building delays we still carried out more than 28,000 days of staf f training for our 6,500 Heathrow customer-services staff in how the terminal would operate and new working practices."
Both BA and BAA said that lessons had been learned and the terminal was now running much more smoothly.
LUGGAGE CHAOS: THE NINE FAILINGS
* Communication between BA and BAA failed with no joint crisis plan in place.
* Baggage system became gridlocked as staff checked in luggage quicker than it was loaded onto planes.
* BA ground staff not trained on how to drive "jetties" - which connect planes to the airport - leaving many stranded and without power.
* Contingency plans, including those to respond to baggage system failures, were not given to the right people.
* Staff delayed at security points because there was up to 50 per cent more employees than expected, exacerbated by the breakdown of an X-ray security machine.
* Construction of T5 overran, leaving work still to be done after it opened.
* BA ground staff not trained on new systems which led to delays in directing planes to designated parking slots.
* Sixty employees were late on opening day because of troubles in staff parking.
* Eight staff delayed in logging onto baggage system because of faulty setup.
Reader views (6)
Possibly, over 900 bags are still delayed at T5 transfers. 98% of these bags will be reunited with their owners within 48 hours. The other 2% will take a while longer, but why, oh why do some papers insists on using the headline grabbing term "LOST". These bags are not lost, they are delayed!
Frustrated Traveller: vote with your feet, go elsewhere.
I think everybody else will now be pleasantly surprised with Terminal 5 today.
- Alan, London, UK, 16/07/2008 08:43
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Can I speak in defence of T5? I have flown through T5 8 or 9 times now since it opened and have had no major problems that could be put down to T5. Yes, there have been ATC delays but that is a LHR wide issue. I mostly travel with hand baggage only but when we did travel with luggage, including oversize golf clubs, it was delivered to the belts at the same time as we got through security. The terminal itself is light, pleasant, and has a very relaxed atmosphere airside. Transit bags go missing the world over, especially when they have to move between terminals. I also suspect that a number of the bags quoted also get delayed rather than lost due to connection issues caused by ATC delays. All this is so typical of us - we love to rubbish things - T5, Wembley, 2012 etc. Remember Denver airport took 12 months to get even close to normal operation, and the new Hong Kong airport had huge problems when it opened.
- Paul, London, UK, 11/07/2008 10:02
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How difficult can it be to transfer luggage from one place to another in an airport? It ain't rocket science!
- Mark Harris, Enfield, 10/07/2008 15:04
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Does anyone know if the baggage handlers at T5 all drive BMWs?
- Haskey, London, SE1, 10/07/2008 13:51
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When are BAA and BA going to wake up to the fact they run a very public business and that our expectation as consumers is for a professional, safe and efficient service which is 100% reliable? This inability, even reluctance, to face up to their responsibilities is endemic of our current society which embodies the 'not my problem', 'not my fault' blame-avoidance culture which is simply not tenable in the aviation industry. Sadly, the UK has become the laughing stock of the travel world because of these companies inability to work together and put the customer first. Breaking BAA's cartel on Gatwick and Heathrow should be the first wake-up call, the next one is customers, especially the profitable frequent flyers voting with their feet to fly with other carriers. This is what a free market economy is all about.
- Frustrated Traveller, London, 10/07/2008 12:47
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You put your bag down at Point A, someone transfers it to Point B.
I cant even be bothered to ask the inevitable question...
- Jason, london, 10/07/2008 12:45
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