Gonzo could you give us a bit more information about the effect that T5's cranes have on Heathrow runway utilisation? If the departure runway is routinely closed to arrivals and we're not aware of it, we have been basing our stay/divert decisions on false data, which is fairly serious stuff. If I understand you correctly, we should be treating Heathrow as a single-runway airport for the moment.
I seem to remember reading (perhaps in the ATC forum?) that the procedure to demand the lowering of the cranes failed on one occasion due to a crane operator being uncontactable. Is this true? What notification have the airlines had of this procedure and its operational ramifications?