Clive James on Terminal 5, mobiles on planes and the French royal couple....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7330850.stm

"I won't name her, because she is only 29 years old, and when all this blows over there is still time for her to start a new career in some less demanding field."

"...after decades of people in management talking tripe, it is too late to expect that what someone in management says will happen will have any relation to what actually happens.."

and on Carla..

"When the Duke of Edinburgh asked her how she could change outfits so often without losing track, she said: "My policy is to create a context for change, then to apply changes within that context."

Brilliant!

I had missed seeing BAA's Head of People and Change, or even knowing that this 29 year-old expert existed.

I wonder if she's got an MBA? Where else would she learn the meaningless drivel she comes out with?

Since T5's problems seemed to be caused mostly by People and Change, were she and her post created overnight to take the rap?

Is that what is known as a "Spanish Practice?"

Just listened to BBC Local Radio News who said BA had cancelled 50 flights this morning due weather at LHR and that the runways had been closed (shock/horror) for TWENTY minutes for deicing!!

Info about the Clive James item was posted in SLF forum late Friday night after it was first broadcast:
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=321253

Terminal 5 success
 

Today there has been a whole 1" of snow on the roof of my beautiful Terminal 5, it looks like a picture postcard! Unfortunately for our passengers the damn stuff fell on the surrounding runway. But every cloud has a silver lining, I can just blame the flight cancellations on this enormous siberian downpour we had this morning. 60 flights cancelled so far, maybe today is going to be a record?Anyway with snow forcast for tomorrow, looks like we can have a rest and get on with clearing those 20,000 or so bags. When i say we i mean those volunteers who kindly give their time for free, bless them.WW

Snow Business
 

THeres snow business like Snow business. I looked out my window today as I rolled from huge four poster, saw the snow and thought Thank you! What a perfect excuse for a load of delayed flights.

What's wrong with T5?
 

What do you lot have against my lovely Terminal 5, all you do is moan moan moan. As if any of you could do any better. Instead of moaning why don't you offer some constructive criticism? Calling for people to resign doesn't really help the matter, we're all in this together, us, passengers and the staff people. I'm reading this to see if any of you have some decent ideas to make it better. I like the earlier post about the DOT changing their rules on security. Just think it's a no go as I can't see in the current climate security measures being relaxed.I had thought about allowing passengers to load their own bags, that would reduce staffing costs and if the bags didn't get on the aircraft they couldn't very well blame us? I put the question on Yahoo answers (it's how I make all my most important business decisions) and the feedback is really rather positive.Oh, have you tried my game?www.weewilliewalsh.co.uk it really is fun if not a little humiliating.

Willie I am sure like many pruners you must realise it is time to go cap in hand to Emirates. I can assure you that there is a company who have some idea of what they are about and could bury the name of BA for good. It goes with out saying that there will be a position comenserate with your current emolument and status. I have started a wip at Cranebank toward your leaving gift please do not be dissapointed.

Why do people always think Emirates is so well run? With dirt cheap fuel and access to vast amounts of oil money almost any airline could do well. Do Emirates still have new aircraft parked up because they don't have enough pilots to fly them?

I doubt Emirates would have any more practical experience in dealing with snow problems though :)

BA's grand T5 de-icing plan.
 

De-icing ops run out of T4 with only 2 out of 6 rigs working. Rigs had to return to T4 to refill causing massive delays (allegedly). Solution........sue the pilots for ruining the BA brand (my dog left a pile of BA brand on the common this morning!).

Time to replace WW with Sid James - Carry On BA!

I am missing something in your post, what has T5 to do with it if all you mention is T4?

Well, try getting a de-icing rig from T4 to T5 in a hurry. Perhaps BA figured that it wouldn't snow at T5 due to global warming.

Seemed clear enough to me ... and do the de-icers have to share the taxyway with aircraft to get from T4 to T5? Or did someone think it through and build a service road?

I have this vague feeling that T5 was a flawed concept from startex. The lack of real estate, ramps/piers/whatever ...and yesterday's DT says that there may be fewer regional flights into LHR, so that unless you live in Surrey or West Lunnon you won't be able to get to an international flight without substantial aggravation.

T5 has its own de icing fill up facility near the end of 09R, I guess along with a lot of other things in T5 it still isn't ready, BAA for you!

There is a road that has been built for Cargo to get round to T5, it runs from the end of cargo around 09R into T5 that way. Not sure if anyone else is allowed to use it.

They are but as its after 31st march BAA didnt grit it and it was closed for 2 accidents this morning.

165 flights cancelled due to snow
 

May I ask my learned fellow PPRUNERS of the feathered type, why oh why does this supposed 'bad weather' in the southeast not affect other airlines. It appears that BA is the only airline affected. I cannot find any other airline cancellations at Heathrow. Am I being told more porkies? Is it just a convienient excuse to buy a little time when the promise of a 'Full service' failed miserably? Discussion please.....

Hmmmm! I've flown 2.5 hrs Cessna just north of Luton today. Some snow early morning to about 10:00 am but otherwise much blue sky for me!!

Willie will never resign, he will have to be pushed. Martin Broughton, as chairman of BA, ought to have, to justify his own huge salary, someone in reserve at all times who he can replace the CEO with should things not work out.

And with everything (including an inch or two of snow, gone within 12 hours) seeming to bring the complete BA operation grinding to a halt, it is obvious that every week WW stays on instead of someone more effective, it's another few tens of millions more down the drain. And this includes someone who can tell BAA, as a BA supplier, nothing more, exactly what they have to do (preferably in words of one syllable and 100 db), rather than wiffle-waffling along with their excuses.

As I've said before, does MB not have Barbara Cassani's phone number ?

This is T5 ...
 

As I understand it to date [unless any of these items have been resolved] and relating to T5 only [not management of BA or BAA specifically]:

1. Baggage computer has gone down.
2. Suggestions that baggage handlers are playing around with the air-side operation.
3. Lifts and other bits of T5 infrastructure aren't working [i.e. Is the South Galleries Lounge now fully "S"? How many lifts are working?]
4. Business car parking is being used by emergency staff.
5. Staff Sy access is/was unable to cope.
6. Baggage staff air-side are unfamiliar/untrained on the tasks.
7. nn,nnn thousand bags are adrift in "BA-aero-space".
8. De-icing on Sunday morning was apparently another T5 failure.

Have any of these aspects been fixed?
Is there any sign of progress?

Surely the dynamics of this site can offer some useful updates on what's happening for the benefit of Ppruners who may have to use the place.
"Kill Will" can be said somewhere else ... what's happening NOW at T5, folks?