Chaos at Terminal 5

[HectorusRex]

Willie's not leaving on a jet plane just yet

Willie's not leaving on a jet plane just yet

By Damian Reece
Last Updated: 1:35am GMT 29/03/2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/mai...C-mcn_29032008
Should Willie Walsh resign? The comedy of errors at Terminal 5 (funny for us, not so funny for British Airways customers) will go down as one of history's great corporate gaffes.
• Terminal 5 joins the list of top PR blunders
• T5 fiasco won't be terminal for Walsh
• Read more of Damian Reece
The opening days of T5 have resulted in embarrassment as complete as that other London white elephant, the Millennium Dome, whose grand opening was just as dreadful. Each bookmark a period when infrastructure problems have become acute. T5 was supposed to be the answer to at least some of these problems, yet isn't working.
However, just as the Dome finally found a useful purpose as an entertainment venue, T5 will come into its own and very soon. This week's chaos has heaped deserved derision on Walsh and the management of BAA, where chairman Nigel Rudd recently replaced his chief executive, and must call into question Walsh's thought process. How could he allow the most high-profile public relations event in BA's history to fail?
Given the fact that he personally welcomed the Queen to the grand opening of T5, he can hardly shirk his responsibility.
But with lessons learnt, in three months time a smoothly operating T5 will mean that these past few days are a fast receding memory. The chaos will damage BA's reputation a little more but it regularly survives similarly chaotic scenes caused by all manner of issues from the weather to industrial disputes. This will not dent profits, and a 3pc fall in the share price is easily recoverable. In the context of these factors, a Walsh resignation appears too dramatic a reaction.
Am I being as complacent as Walsh was over T5's opening? No, because resignation remains a distinct possibility if, by the end of next month, the situation has not radically improved. This is when flights from T4 should have been moved to the new terminal.
This next phase will now probably have to be delayed for a time, but if that delay is significant, and the recent chaos not resolved, then that will be the time for him to go.

[Walnut]

I believe the end of April is going to be the crunch time for T5 when most of the longhaul flights move from T4. At the moment about 40% of BA's pax are using T5, & the system is just about coping with a 20% of these planned flights culled !!!!. So when the rest arrive what then???
If the story is true that BA is to be heavily fined for all the disrupted PAX, (say £1000 x 10000 pax pd = £10M pd my best guess) then it would be cheaper for the airline to shut down.!!!!!!

[BAengineering]

Not leaving yet

Oh you missed the bit of the article that leaves a big query,

'did Mr Walsh ignore his staff warnings?' If so his head has got to roll.

Well I for one emailed him my personal views over one month ago, what do you think happened? Nothing.... no response.

COmputer says no.... Oh OH

[BAengineering]

Simon Calder

Simon Calder: "By the end of Day One, BA's chief executive may have been praying for fog, to obscure the national embarrassment that he helped to perpetrate."


complete article here

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...ys-802310.html

[warkman]

I like this

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/s...g-20080328826/

Its all a plot by BAA. Trap passengers at T5, more retail sales

[qwertyplop]

British National Disgrace?

To be honest - this is the bit I just don't get.

What bit of any of this made anyone think that Great Britian would deliver a world class terminal on time - to budget and without problems.

The staff that turned up for work on the first day were NOTHING to do with the problems. The problems are an endemic and systemic failure of project management - communication and oversight. These factors combined to make the mess BAA and BA are in today but it's a mess with global dimensions that reflect really where we are in the world today.

Moreover - it's like just about everything else that is undertaken on any scale in the UK today. Olympics in 2012 - if people are laughing now what will they be doing in 2012?

What have the government done? What price any remaining but rapidly diminishing semblance of national reputation we may have left? Come to Britain to spend your money and locate your companies the government cries - well if you were the CEO of a large multi-national - what the hell would you think?

I'd be setting up my plant in China frankly.

Tn5 is an analogy for New Labour and the Great Britain that they created in their image.

[ConstantFlyer]

New shopping centre opens in west London

From the Retail Gazette: A brand new state-of-the-art shopping centre has opened in west London. Situated at an erstwhile international crossroads, the centre opened its doors – and some of its lifts and escalators – to prospective shoppers in a blaze of publicity. Hundreds of shopkeepers and restaurateurs braced themselves for a massive influx of retail fans eager to experience the architecturally-enhanced designer-laden shopping opportunities that the centre was keen to offer.


The celebrations were cut short, however, by the appearance of a vast flash mob of besuited business travellers and so-called holidaymakers wielding heavily-laden suitcases. Uninterested in availing themselves of architecturally-enhanced shopping experiences, the masses lined-up their baggage trolleys and formed themselves into queues, chanting their mantra: “Check-it-in, check-it-in”.


Faced with such a lack of spending customers, shop staff left their handbag displays and pyramids of faux tins of cheap imitation Scottish shortbread to go in search of them. Their route was barred, however, by a huge backlog of fluorescent jacket-wearing baggage handlers queueing to get through a single security control point.


Shopping Centre manager Mr I.N. Visibleman said “I have no comment, as I'm not here”. Chief Sales Director Mr Y.R. Wewaiting said “I am delighted that so many paying customers have decided to make use of our architecturally-enhanced shopping facility today, and to spend so much time and money with us. It has been such a success that we are considering adding extra benefits for our longest-suffering shoppers, such as beds and planes.”


The shopping centre is thought to be in line for an award – the Hounslow Market Traders Most Innovative Stall Award, together with a special commendation for its see-through canopy and see-through sales figures. Senior management are looking forward to visiting Buckingham Palace Road job centre with their P45s. Normal service is expected to be achieved some time in 2011.

[derekvader]

There's a couple of flights that have managed to get away this morning with only a 25 minute delay but most of them are still departing over an hour late, according to the real time flight info from BAA's site http://www.heathrowairport.com/.

Why are the first flights of the day still going out an hour late?

[openfly]

I was on the first departure to CDG on the 27th. Yes we departed on time and the service on board was perfect. Why is this not the norm rather than an exception? (I have never seen so many 'men in suits' at the gate!)
The T5 experience should have been perfect on the first day.

This morning, two days after the opening, I received a shiny brochure from the BA Executive Club singing the praises of T5....the first sentence begins 'We are just weeks away from the opening of T5....'!! They cant even get this right...

All very sad. But I bet that there will be umpteen knighthoods and medals dished out for a 'job well done'.

[Southernboy]

Track record

Re BA Engineering's earlier post:

"like the bit about Mr Deadwood running away from the press pack without answering a single question.

'Instead of taking questions, he ran off once the statement was complete.
Another mistake, admits Simpson, but again down to the fact he had little up-to-date information to impart.'

Or is that 'he is a clueless imbecile' "

He has form. After presiding over chaos in Bristol a few years ago he also refused to face the angry public.

It is THE mark of a responsible manager. Anyone remember M Bishop after Kegworth? That's how you do it.

[theredbarron]

Couldn't get off

I flew down from EDI to T5 yesterday morning and we were on stand for 15 minutes before any BA staff arrived to position the air bridge onto the aircraft. Some colleagues who arrived from MAN just after me waited for 35 minutes for the same reason. Both flights were on-time arrivals. This has to be pure and simple crap resource management by BA ; not something they can blame on technology.

We all switched to BD for the return flights back north but by the looks of things those departures that did get away last night were all running pretty late.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

And, to put that into perspective ... I have seen exactly the same happening in T3 (they still have a few flights operating from there). BA 747 pulls onto stand, no BA staff anywhere to be seen. Nobody to apply ground power, nobody to apply chocks, no ground engineer with a headset to talk to the crew. I've also seen the aircraft waiting for about 15 minutes before the jetty starts to move.
I'm a 'ramp agent' myself, so I know what should happen; if I did something similar (or, not, as the case may be), my a&%e would be kicked from one end of the airport to the other.

[xs-baggage]

Proud to fly BA

Because the staff in the public eye - check-in, cabin crew - are superbly professional and a credit to our industry and to the UK.

Because the backroom boys and girls - flight deck, baggage hall, engineering, and the rest - are skilled, dedicated, and committed.

Not only Mr Walsh but every other manager in a service industry should remember that
1. Long-term profit comes from paying customers.
2. The points at which the customers interact with the business are critical and staff in these positions have a right to full management support at all levels and at all times.

I was saddened to hear of assaults on BA staff. What a sick society we have become.

[ZFT]

Unfortunately you are as good as your weakest link, whether it is cleaners, ramp staff or as you put it, the staff in the public eye. BA management seem to be weak everywhere.

As to being a credit to the UK!!!!!!

[G-CPTN]

Heard a quote from some BA guy (might even have been WW) that the situation for passengers (yesterday) had been somewhat better, as most had checked before travelling and discovered that their flights had been cancelled so didn't turn up . . .
That's the trouble that bus drivers have - having to stop to pick up and put down passengers. Without passengers transport operations could run 'efficiently'.

[172driver]

Because the staff in the public eye - check-in, cabin crew - are superbly professional and a credit to our industry and to the UK.

Because the backroom boys and girls - flight deck, baggage hall, engineering, and the rest - are skilled, dedicated, and committed.

One would hope you say this tongue firmly in cheek. Then again, given you are a first-time poster, you're probably working for this sad outfit.

One really has to wonder how far this mis-management extends in BA. While in the past it would never have crossed my mind to doubt the high standards of the behind-the-scenes work, nagging doubts about the whole operation start to creep into my mind.....

[colegate]

IMHO this shambles will give government all the ammunition to "destroy" BAA. I guess that when the Competition Commission they will recommend that LHR is sold. The sale of either LHR or LGW will not change the way the company behaves. The sale of LHR will. It will be floated on the stock exchange. New management will transform it from the unloved beast that it now is to a great company.

BA will have to do something radical to improve. Perhaps Alan Mullaly should be recruited from Ford.

[Local Variation]

The truth of the matter is that the dust will settle; Joe Public will calm down; normal mundane life will return at LHR and this weeks news will be next weeks fish and chips papers.

That's the British way.

As for BA. Time has proved again and again that their brand is bomb proof and this will turn out to be just another example.

As an aside, where did WW get his Operations Director from ? Strewth, like myself, I'm sure most viewers thought "no wonder" when we watched his juvenile, inept, turn and leg it performance on the Beeb on Thursday night.

As someone else has previously eluded too, it would have been a different day had a certain "proud to be British" BA predecessor been pacing the gleaming new floors with his braces and Union Jack tie.

[TURIN]

Have the management really damaged relationships that much that the staff are helping to destroy their own company?

That's about right.

Sad isn't it?

[muppitt]

It appears that BBC film crews and reporters have been banned from interviewing pax and filming inside T5.

Astonishing!