Heathrow Can’t Shake Off Fiasco

Travelers hoping to fly from the new Terminal 5 at London Heathrow airport on Monday face more delays from troubles with the computerized baggage-handling system, and the British transport secretary offered Sunday to help resolve problems that have led to hundreds of flight cancelations, thousands of lost bags and much embarrassment.

British Airways – the sole tenant of Terminal 5 – canceled 37 domestic and European flights Sunday, bringing the total number of cancellations since the terminal opened Thursday to 245.

The airline said there would be more cancellations Monday and Tuesday, with the aim of operating 87 percent of its scheduled flights. An airline spokeswoman could not predict when services would return to normal.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said on Sunday she had held talks with the airline and the airport operator, BAA, which is owned by Ferrovial of Spain, and was prepared to step in with unspecified help if it became necessary.

“Everything possible must be done to deliver a better service for passengers who are unfortunately still facing disruption and delays to their journeys,” Kelly said.

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, has called the opening of Terminal 5 “a public relations disaster” and said that the chaos would hurt Britain’s reputation with business people throughout the world.

The chief executive of BA, Willie Walsh, apologized again Sunday for the delays.

“We have made clear that the service we have provided has not been good enough,” Walsh said in a statement. “We apologize sincerely.”

He said the terminal’s baggage system – the cause of most of the problems – was now “generally working well” and that the backlog of lost bags was not affecting day-to-day operations.

Walsh said more than 400 employees came in on their day off Sunday to help sort through the 15,000 stranded bags sitting inside the new terminal and to begin trying to get them back to passengers.

BA shares fell 3 percent Friday on the London Stock Exchange, hit by the Heathrow chaos and worries ahead of the start on Sunday of an “open skies” agreement to create greater competition on trans- Atlantic routes.

The airline also faces a sizable compensation bill for passengers delayed by the troubles at the new terminal and forced to stay overnight in hotels.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it had written to BA about reports it had offered stranded passengers pound(s)100, or $200, to cover hotel bills rather than meeting its legal obligation to provide a room irrespective of cost.

Originally published by AP, Reuters.

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