Chaos at Terminal 5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Media sticking the boot in
THe papers are really waking up to the sheer magnitude of this;
Herald Tribune - BA's Terminal 5 proving to be one big hub of chaos
Boston Globe - Chaos at Heathrow could hit British Airways hard
Telegraph - Heathrow Terminal 5 debacle 'damages UK'
Guardian - Ministers attack BA over Terminal 5 fiasco as chaos continues
So irrespective of my postings, the world is watching
Herald Tribune - BA's Terminal 5 proving to be one big hub of chaos
Boston Globe - Chaos at Heathrow could hit British Airways hard
Telegraph - Heathrow Terminal 5 debacle 'damages UK'
Guardian - Ministers attack BA over Terminal 5 fiasco as chaos continues
So irrespective of my postings, the world is watching
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: London
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BA engineering
What's wrong with trying to be positive about the company I work for?
If we all adopted your attitude we may as well give up.
I am as disappointed by the events of the last few days as anyone else.
But I am glad that you are so busy helping out that you are able to post your rants on here every few minutes.
Well done.
What's wrong with trying to be positive about the company I work for?
If we all adopted your attitude we may as well give up.
I am as disappointed by the events of the last few days as anyone else.
But I am glad that you are so busy helping out that you are able to post your rants on here every few minutes.
Well done.
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 459
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
One thing for sure, with the price of Oil the way it is, the Oil men have loads of cash, they can pick and choose where they put it. Would guess lots of it is being placed for the long term.
PPRuNe Person
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: see roster
Posts: 1,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BAengineering
If you are really working for BA and posting at the same time then words fail me. You must either be able to hide and skive with great skill, or no-one else cares.
Either way, please give it a rest.
If you are really working for BA and posting at the same time then words fail me. You must either be able to hide and skive with great skill, or no-one else cares.
Either way, please give it a rest.
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Essex
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am not surprised by the Terminal 5 fiasco. The sheer foolishness of some managerial decisions over the years has astounded me. Let me cite one example. A few years ago a decision was made to shorten the opening hours of the Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 4. (By the way, ba.com was not immediately updated to show this.) I arrived one afternoon from Vancouver expecting to be able to shave, have a shower and perhaps some food before leaving the airport only to be denied admission. Now, how much money did BA save by doing this? How much passenger goodwill was lost? What kind of manager makes/approves a decision like this? If someone reading this has knowledge of this particular decision, I, for one, would love to know how it came about.
Last edited by Seat62K; 1st Apr 2008 at 11:11.
day 6 since the opening and still no sight or sound from the chairman M. Broughton or the board.
Thinking of calling the Police ,they must be somewhere ?
Thinking of calling the Police ,they must be somewhere ?
They are still scoffing the congratularly doughnuts...............
But where is Deadwood ????? Still running away from the press ????
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Harrow England
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It will take more than volunteers to solve the problems
The ba website proudly displays arrival and departure times that suggest things might be getting back to normal. I arrived on BA 1403 on Sunday evening, according to the website we 'arrived' at 2024, only 59 minutes late. In reality with no stand for 30 minutes and a further hour and a half for a set of steps to all us to escape, we actually arrived at the terminal 2 hours later than stated. By then all connections had been lost, the hold doors were only just being opened at 2225, no doubt to avoid increasing the baggage mountain and universally everyone on board said they would never fly BA again.
Of course some of us will, I regret having 8 more bookings from T5, but there appears to have been no crisis planning at all, inadequate equipment available, after all a set of steps for an A319 cannot be that difficult to find surely, and no visible management at all. The crew remained cheerful but apologetic ('there is nothing you can say that we haven't already heard'), the passengers discussed opening the doors and pulling the red handle as shown on the safety video but for many, making non-BA connections, the reality was probably having to buy a new ticket at considerable cost. They certainly will not fly BA again.
Of course some of us will, I regret having 8 more bookings from T5, but there appears to have been no crisis planning at all, inadequate equipment available, after all a set of steps for an A319 cannot be that difficult to find surely, and no visible management at all. The crew remained cheerful but apologetic ('there is nothing you can say that we haven't already heard'), the passengers discussed opening the doors and pulling the red handle as shown on the safety video but for many, making non-BA connections, the reality was probably having to buy a new ticket at considerable cost. They certainly will not fly BA again.
Moving on and getting out of all this ......
The BA board must be considering their route forward.
Walsh is obviously finished but the question for the board is who to replace him with. Can't be shot of him until someone new is in place, because after this Walsh will have to be gone the day the announcement is made. Names in the hat anyone? Is Barbara Cassini available ?
Secondy Broughton has to tell Gordon Brown directly (as the current Secretary for Transport is the worst plonker in that post since Nicholas Ridley - hmmm, no, actually she's worse) that stupid nonsenses by the DfT, in particular security rules that achieve nothing for security, have been a key contributor to all this. But Brown will not be receptive unless Broughton tells him what he is going to do from the BA side as well.
Brown can then get the chairman of Ferrovial over to tell them that unless they change both spending and attitudes on what they do they can count themselves out of the UK market for a long tme, both BAA and their various construction companies (much of whose work is for government bodies).
It is obviously time also for BA PR (who write about a fantasy world) to be pointed at pastures new as well.
The BA board must be considering their route forward.
Walsh is obviously finished but the question for the board is who to replace him with. Can't be shot of him until someone new is in place, because after this Walsh will have to be gone the day the announcement is made. Names in the hat anyone? Is Barbara Cassini available ?
Secondy Broughton has to tell Gordon Brown directly (as the current Secretary for Transport is the worst plonker in that post since Nicholas Ridley - hmmm, no, actually she's worse) that stupid nonsenses by the DfT, in particular security rules that achieve nothing for security, have been a key contributor to all this. But Brown will not be receptive unless Broughton tells him what he is going to do from the BA side as well.
Brown can then get the chairman of Ferrovial over to tell them that unless they change both spending and attitudes on what they do they can count themselves out of the UK market for a long tme, both BAA and their various construction companies (much of whose work is for government bodies).
It is obviously time also for BA PR (who write about a fantasy world) to be pointed at pastures new as well.
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: nowhere near here
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The BA way - we're not happy, till you're not happy
Seat62K
I work for BA. I don't know how or why the decision to close the T4 arrivals lounge was taken but it is typical of BA management - they will waste a lot of effort trying to save money in ways that end up costing them a lot more. It is worth remembering that our managers could not care less about you. T5 is the same - we cut manpower to the bone because T5 was meant to require fewer people - look at us now, cancelling flights because we don't have enough baggage loaders to operate the system or cabin crew to operate flights.
T5 is turning into the most embarrassing disaster ever and with BA all in one place at Heathrow, it will soon become very very clear that the mess is our fault. If it doesn't change there will be no bookings for next year and we'll go the way of Sabena.
Partick Thistle Nil
As for why I, for one, will not go volunteering to help my employer out of its difficulties even though I'm sat at home on a day off? Perhaps because for the past few months they have been calling me, along with over 3000 other pilots, a "contaminant" who is unfit to operate their new Open Skies operation. You reap what you sow and, frankly, BA can f**k off.
OverFlare.
I work for BA. I don't know how or why the decision to close the T4 arrivals lounge was taken but it is typical of BA management - they will waste a lot of effort trying to save money in ways that end up costing them a lot more. It is worth remembering that our managers could not care less about you. T5 is the same - we cut manpower to the bone because T5 was meant to require fewer people - look at us now, cancelling flights because we don't have enough baggage loaders to operate the system or cabin crew to operate flights.
T5 is turning into the most embarrassing disaster ever and with BA all in one place at Heathrow, it will soon become very very clear that the mess is our fault. If it doesn't change there will be no bookings for next year and we'll go the way of Sabena.
Partick Thistle Nil
As for why I, for one, will not go volunteering to help my employer out of its difficulties even though I'm sat at home on a day off? Perhaps because for the past few months they have been calling me, along with over 3000 other pilots, a "contaminant" who is unfit to operate their new Open Skies operation. You reap what you sow and, frankly, BA can f**k off.
OverFlare.
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Hampshire
Age: 78
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another 50 Flights today have been cancelled.With the flights back,surely this makes 100.Anyway Willy Wonka can claim BA has gone Green by reducing his Co2,so maybe get an award!!!!All he is good for is making Chocolate Kettles.FUBAR,still SNAFU,run by WAFUs.Just like New Labour -Honesty- a LIE,a Challenge- a total cock up.No idea where his staff has gone-made redundant some time ago!!!!Memories of the Hitler Bunker.
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BAengineering confessed in an earlier post that he doesn't work for BA and BA stands for "big aircraft" so stop taking his bait - he doesn't work for BA.
BMIengineering is probably a more appropriate name for him
BMIengineering is probably a more appropriate name for him
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Hong Kong
Age: 68
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
J1J a couple of pages back says that when Hong Kong's new airport opened there weren't such problems as with LHR T5. Sorry, but that simply ain't true: there were significant problems on gate allocations and other passenger issues - which were sorted out after a couple of days - but humungeous problems on cargo handling which took more than a couple of weeks to fix and cost massive losses for cargo owners. There was a public enquiry and heads rolled. (Wonder if you guys back in DOB will be afforded that privilege: will Gordon Mugabe allow it?).
Can't help observing that Shanghai opened a new terminal a couple of days ago and are doing it in BITE SIZED CHUNKS. Did BA really have to move so much over in one go?
P.S. Why do all these new terminals look the same?
Can't help observing that Shanghai opened a new terminal a couple of days ago and are doing it in BITE SIZED CHUNKS. Did BA really have to move so much over in one go?
P.S. Why do all these new terminals look the same?
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Hampshire
Age: 78
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am afraid in is Country,NO ONE in POWER ever seems to he held responsible for their actions,except those in the front line.President Blair and his cronies started this,and the Joe Public is so apathetic at offering opposition,it continues.Speaker Martin is laid bare as an absolute crook-WHy is he still there,even now trying to stop MPs expenses,second house allowances etc from being published.Wily wonka can take a look at all around him,so why shouldhe resign.HOWEVER,when the ABMP(Absolutely bloody minded passenger) rightly looks at his choices at LHR or elsewhere,he might never fly with BA again.Only when this has brought BA to its knees ,will the Powers that Be be forced to look at their own situation.Then the Shareholders can force the issue,as they look at their dwindling assets.This T5 problem will not go away,when the contents of threads here so strongly point to an horrendous internal Management problem.This will not be sorted as quickly as Hong Kong either,because of the same.Its all very well WW saying the Buck stops with me,but his colleagues at the top put this into motion,so they must be called into account.Up the whistleblowers like BA Eng,and other BA staff.Without them nothing will happen.Yet if you leave the stand 15 mins late,or have to have a Baggage check and the resultant delay,or use more than "sword" fuel,you will find a Text for "Swords and Medals" on a day off.Its the Front End that always carry the can for gross incompetence at the Top.!!!!!!Hubris,Nemesis,ATE--------the end
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Essex
Posts: 579
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, Over Flare, for your feedback.
I do wonder the degree to which senior management has been insulated from customer dissatisfaction. Just look at BA News and the constant "boosterism" about just how good the airline is supposed to be. For example, crowing about how good service recovery is. My more recent experience is of waiting months for email complaints to be responded to and even, on one occasion, a claim that my emails could not be found.
Service recovery at BA has not always been bad. I remember when the company restored my goodwill by crediting my Executive Club account with complimentary BA Miles. This constituted reasonable compensation, in my view. Willie Walsh has spoken about "getting the basics right" but this hasn't been happening, as the events at T5 show so clearly.
I do wonder the degree to which senior management has been insulated from customer dissatisfaction. Just look at BA News and the constant "boosterism" about just how good the airline is supposed to be. For example, crowing about how good service recovery is. My more recent experience is of waiting months for email complaints to be responded to and even, on one occasion, a claim that my emails could not be found.
Service recovery at BA has not always been bad. I remember when the company restored my goodwill by crediting my Executive Club account with complimentary BA Miles. This constituted reasonable compensation, in my view. Willie Walsh has spoken about "getting the basics right" but this hasn't been happening, as the events at T5 show so clearly.
UkEng
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: England
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I suggest you either follow your own advice and go move bags, or go fix one of our many poorly maintained aeroplanes.
Our aircraft are not poorly maintained and I believe that is an incredible slur on the hundreds of hard working engineers who maintain the fleet to an extremely safe and high standard.
Absolutely no need for comments like that
