T5 Miserable Failure To Perform
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: South of France
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
T5 Miserable Failure To Perform
OK, we've had some bad weather but that was twenty-four hours ago....
My wife and daughter arrive at midnight to Heathrow T5 after two hour delay. Pilot announces there are now delays getting busses to the aircraft.
1hr 45mins later, they are told the busses are on the way so the doors are opened. My wife and daughter are at the bottom of the steps when the busses drive off as they are full. Now standing outside in temps of -1c, they have to wait for 20 mins for busses to return.
Inside the terminal, an announcement is made that bags cannot be delivered so please fill in a form to have them delivered later. 200+ people are trying to get the form. It is now 02:30 and they are still not out of the airport.
Just hopeless.
My wife and daughter arrive at midnight to Heathrow T5 after two hour delay. Pilot announces there are now delays getting busses to the aircraft.
1hr 45mins later, they are told the busses are on the way so the doors are opened. My wife and daughter are at the bottom of the steps when the busses drive off as they are full. Now standing outside in temps of -1c, they have to wait for 20 mins for busses to return.
Inside the terminal, an announcement is made that bags cannot be delivered so please fill in a form to have them delivered later. 200+ people are trying to get the form. It is now 02:30 and they are still not out of the airport.
Just hopeless.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: England
Posts: 730
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Could've been worse
Snow: Travel chaos as up to 8 ins of snow falls across the south - Telegraph
It's the English way to fall apart with the slightest whiff of any cold weather. At least Gatwick and Luton were ok.......
Snow: Travel chaos as up to 8 ins of snow falls across the south - Telegraph
It's the English way to fall apart with the slightest whiff of any cold weather. At least Gatwick and Luton were ok.......
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: South of France
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you F3G and Tightslot.
In the cold, tired light of day, I realise I should probably have just added my post to another T5 thread but last night was so infuriating, particularly as I was unable to do anything to help my wife and daughter.
In the end, my wife said there were hundreds of people from 6 or 7 flights trying to get the yellow claim forms from two girls at a desk. At that point she took an executive decision and just abandoned her bags - as it would appear did most people. By this time, I had been trying to get accomodation for them at either the Sofitel or Hilton but all were full. After a further 30 mins queue for a parking bus, they managed to get in their car. They arrived back home at 06:30 this morning some seven hours after they should have done.
One would have hoped that BAA had an emergency plan that would swing in to action when these things happen - which they do from time to time.
Either they don't have one or if they do, it doesn't work!
In the cold, tired light of day, I realise I should probably have just added my post to another T5 thread but last night was so infuriating, particularly as I was unable to do anything to help my wife and daughter.
In the end, my wife said there were hundreds of people from 6 or 7 flights trying to get the yellow claim forms from two girls at a desk. At that point she took an executive decision and just abandoned her bags - as it would appear did most people. By this time, I had been trying to get accomodation for them at either the Sofitel or Hilton but all were full. After a further 30 mins queue for a parking bus, they managed to get in their car. They arrived back home at 06:30 this morning some seven hours after they should have done.
One would have hoped that BAA had an emergency plan that would swing in to action when these things happen - which they do from time to time.
Either they don't have one or if they do, it doesn't work!
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: In transit
Age: 70
Posts: 3,052
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Add to this the Eurostar story
Snow: Travel chaos as up to 8 ins of snow falls across the south - Telegraph
..... caused by the wrong type of air in the tunnel ... and it paints a sad picture of the ability of the transportation systems to cope with anything a little out of the ordinary.
Snow: Travel chaos as up to 8 ins of snow falls across the south - Telegraph
..... caused by the wrong type of air in the tunnel ... and it paints a sad picture of the ability of the transportation systems to cope with anything a little out of the ordinary.
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Caribbean
Posts: 341
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For Gods sake, what is the matter with you people!
The citizens of this great country have once again fought valiantly through our annual fall of 12 snowflakes, and you expect things to carry on as normal!
It is all very well expecting competency and some shadow of efficiency when you come from Germany or Scandinavia or the USA, where you take these things in your stride, and as part of your genetic heritage. However here in the united desert kingdom, thanks to global climatic upheaval, we now have to endure such freak weather events as fog, heavy rain, and now even overnight snow flurries! Indeed, so traumatic has our climate been over the last millennia, that our traditional hose pipe ban celebrations, when we have 3 consecutive dry days, have had to be suspended for the last 2 years!
Now you expect our airports to be able to cope, our busses and trains to run, and your suitcases to travel 500 metres inside of a week? Stop and spare a thought for the people of these great islands, who struggle on through such adversity with barely a crooked smile. Be thankful that you can share in this seasonal spirit, and experience the joyfulness of the celebrations of the strike ballot. Be thankful that we always have enough complaint forms for you to fill in, and we do supply chained biros.
I dont know....... Foreigners!
The citizens of this great country have once again fought valiantly through our annual fall of 12 snowflakes, and you expect things to carry on as normal!
It is all very well expecting competency and some shadow of efficiency when you come from Germany or Scandinavia or the USA, where you take these things in your stride, and as part of your genetic heritage. However here in the united desert kingdom, thanks to global climatic upheaval, we now have to endure such freak weather events as fog, heavy rain, and now even overnight snow flurries! Indeed, so traumatic has our climate been over the last millennia, that our traditional hose pipe ban celebrations, when we have 3 consecutive dry days, have had to be suspended for the last 2 years!
Now you expect our airports to be able to cope, our busses and trains to run, and your suitcases to travel 500 metres inside of a week? Stop and spare a thought for the people of these great islands, who struggle on through such adversity with barely a crooked smile. Be thankful that you can share in this seasonal spirit, and experience the joyfulness of the celebrations of the strike ballot. Be thankful that we always have enough complaint forms for you to fill in, and we do supply chained biros.
I dont know....... Foreigners!
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: any town as retired.
Posts: 2,182
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Luton not much better
Please dont knock the UK, it was admitted on TV by some face or other....we dont get much snow, so it is not cost effective to prepare for it when it arrives.
Global warming my a$$.
glf
Global warming my a$$.
glf
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: South of France
Posts: 1,035
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Latest, which if true, causes insult to injury...
The Press Association: Passengers leave luggage on plane
Passengers left their luggage on a plane at Heathrow last night after being told by workers that they wouldn't be unloaded because staff were not being paid overtime.
Travellers waited for hours at the airport's Terminal 5 for bags to be unloaded from British Airways' planes, many of which had landed hours late because of the poor weather conditions.
One passenger on a flight from Prague said she saw a group of baggage handlers leave the terminal as hundreds of people were waiting in the baggage reclaim area for their suitcases.
"One told me they were leaving at the end of their shift because their employer would not pay them overtime.
"They advised us to leave without our bags because they wouldn't be unloaded. It was a complete shambles. One woman needed to get to her bag because she had milk inside it for her young child," the passenger told the Press Association.
A BA spokesman said: "Due to the disruption caused by heavy snowfalls yesterday we do have a number of delayed transfer bags from cancelled flights in our care.
"We have taken on extra baggage teams and are working as hard as we can to get these bags on to their onward flights out of Terminal 5 as quickly as possible.
"This process has already started and we anticipate that the majority of bags will be put on to flights later today."
The airline said it was operating a normal flying schedule today from both Heathrow and Gatwick but there may be some delays.
"This is due to aircraft, cabin and flight crew out of position caused by delays from yesterday's heavy snowfalls which is causing an impact on the schedule."
The Press Association: Passengers leave luggage on plane
Passengers left their luggage on a plane at Heathrow last night after being told by workers that they wouldn't be unloaded because staff were not being paid overtime.
Travellers waited for hours at the airport's Terminal 5 for bags to be unloaded from British Airways' planes, many of which had landed hours late because of the poor weather conditions.
One passenger on a flight from Prague said she saw a group of baggage handlers leave the terminal as hundreds of people were waiting in the baggage reclaim area for their suitcases.
"One told me they were leaving at the end of their shift because their employer would not pay them overtime.
"They advised us to leave without our bags because they wouldn't be unloaded. It was a complete shambles. One woman needed to get to her bag because she had milk inside it for her young child," the passenger told the Press Association.
A BA spokesman said: "Due to the disruption caused by heavy snowfalls yesterday we do have a number of delayed transfer bags from cancelled flights in our care.
"We have taken on extra baggage teams and are working as hard as we can to get these bags on to their onward flights out of Terminal 5 as quickly as possible.
"This process has already started and we anticipate that the majority of bags will be put on to flights later today."
The airline said it was operating a normal flying schedule today from both Heathrow and Gatwick but there may be some delays.
"This is due to aircraft, cabin and flight crew out of position caused by delays from yesterday's heavy snowfalls which is causing an impact on the schedule."
Last edited by strake; 19th Dec 2009 at 18:20.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I arrived at MAN from LHR last night (thankfully courtesy of the wonderful BMI) to be confronted in the baggage reclaim hall by 40 or 50 people who had also arrived from LHR with the evil BA who's bags hadn't even made it on to the aircraft...
Warping the T5 rant into a general LHR rant, we had a 45 min delay for de-icing (not enough de-icing units available - is a heavy frost really that uncommon in the UK???!!) and then to add insult to injury a further 15 min delay waiting for a tug - LHR is supposedly the busiest passenger airport in Europe and they do not have enough tugs/de-icers to handle the traffic levels during the evening peak???
But hey, unlike the poor souls on the BA flight, my bag made it from LHR to MAN
Warping the T5 rant into a general LHR rant, we had a 45 min delay for de-icing (not enough de-icing units available - is a heavy frost really that uncommon in the UK???!!) and then to add insult to injury a further 15 min delay waiting for a tug - LHR is supposedly the busiest passenger airport in Europe and they do not have enough tugs/de-icers to handle the traffic levels during the evening peak???
But hey, unlike the poor souls on the BA flight, my bag made it from LHR to MAN
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London (Babylon-on-Thames)
Age: 42
Posts: 6,168
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Why couldn't they get the bags on the aircraft? Was it a weather thing or did everyone clock off and bugger off home at the stroke of shift ending?
Now THAT sounds typically British. To paraphrase Mr Adams, those unions, "they haven't gone away you know.....!"
Now THAT sounds typically British. To paraphrase Mr Adams, those unions, "they haven't gone away you know.....!"
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Dublin
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Those 40 or 50 people were probably transits, im not bliddy well surprised their bags didnt make it if things are as bad as they appear to be at LHR!
I still shocks me that airports in the UK in general are so ill equipped to deal with snow. Its not the airlines faults, airlines are used to flying into snowy conditions, its the airports and the general infrastructure providors fault. Why can scandic countries, americans, canadians, russian etc etc etc airports manage it no problem yet our lot just allow the complete collapse of organisation???
I still shocks me that airports in the UK in general are so ill equipped to deal with snow. Its not the airlines faults, airlines are used to flying into snowy conditions, its the airports and the general infrastructure providors fault. Why can scandic countries, americans, canadians, russian etc etc etc airports manage it no problem yet our lot just allow the complete collapse of organisation???
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Skippy & Paddy,
I read an article earlier (bbc website I think) that said some aircraft didnt get unloaded last night (bags left on planes) as the handlers refused to work overtime...think it was T5, but I could be wrong...
However, if there were baggage handlers, I can't see why on earth the captain wouldn't delay the flight to ensure all the bags made it on as I think it was probably the last Manchester bound run from LHR, so would seem sensible just to delay for the bags, but maybe everyone who works for BA is so cheesed off with it they just wanna get home on time and couldnt care less about a few bags?!
Another T5 story from me involved getting my usual back row seat (my fave place at end of week so I get on first and just sit quietly while all the other people enter a scrum for luggage space etc etc), Fri evening, LHR-MAN and positioned myself well at the gate for the call to boarding....only to be foiled by the groundstaff boarding the front half first, which made so much sense when the airbridge was attached, you guessed it, at the front door of the aircraft...took somewhat longer than normal to get everyone on board and seated. No offence Paddy, but I'm so very glad BMI have survived for the time being!!
I read an article earlier (bbc website I think) that said some aircraft didnt get unloaded last night (bags left on planes) as the handlers refused to work overtime...think it was T5, but I could be wrong...
However, if there were baggage handlers, I can't see why on earth the captain wouldn't delay the flight to ensure all the bags made it on as I think it was probably the last Manchester bound run from LHR, so would seem sensible just to delay for the bags, but maybe everyone who works for BA is so cheesed off with it they just wanna get home on time and couldnt care less about a few bags?!
Another T5 story from me involved getting my usual back row seat (my fave place at end of week so I get on first and just sit quietly while all the other people enter a scrum for luggage space etc etc), Fri evening, LHR-MAN and positioned myself well at the gate for the call to boarding....only to be foiled by the groundstaff boarding the front half first, which made so much sense when the airbridge was attached, you guessed it, at the front door of the aircraft...took somewhat longer than normal to get everyone on board and seated. No offence Paddy, but I'm so very glad BMI have survived for the time being!!
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: In transit
Age: 70
Posts: 3,052
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just in case anyone thought I was joking about the 'wrong type of air' .... I wasn't .......
Four trains – all headed to London from Paris – suffered electrical breakdowns as they left the cold air in northern France and entered the warmer air inside the tunnel.
Death Cruiser Flight Crew
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Vaucluse, France.
Posts: 613
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The wrong sort of air in the Channel Tunnel
This problem was reported on by Simon Calder in an article as far back as December 2001. It seems that condensation forms in Le Works and brings the Eurostars to a grinding halt. A fleet of five clunky diesels of German manufacture are on hand to drag the failures out, but it all takes time, of course.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: In transit
Age: 70
Posts: 3,052
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
A fleet of five clunky diesels of German manufacture are on hand to drag the failures out,
Not new, not T5
A good few years ago I flew back into LHR from Montreal (on a BA 747-100 to give some idea of how long ago). We landed on 9L and taxied off the end of the runway and parked in front of where the fire training fuselage can now be seen. Three more aircraft landed behind us and parked behind us and there we sat. The taxiway we parked on was virgin snow.
Something like 90 minutes later a set of airstairs arrived but they were frozen so they went away and came back about 20 minutes later with one bus. I was lucky in that being in Club I got on that bus. I have no idea how long it took to get everyone off. I don't remember any particular problems with baggage.
In the meantime the crew did their best but after a trans-Atlantic sector there wasn't too much left to hand out.
Point is this is all nothing new. I could get annoyed and complain that this happens every time the weather goes off on one and if it happened then why haven't they sorted it by now. But I take the view that if "they" were fully prepared for such events it would add to the cost of my ticket and I'm prepared to accept some inconvenience so that doesn't happen.
And, it happens where they are (supposedly) prepared. Check out Chicago next time snow hits. They'll be OK with some snow but if it really snows they simply stop flying.
Something like 90 minutes later a set of airstairs arrived but they were frozen so they went away and came back about 20 minutes later with one bus. I was lucky in that being in Club I got on that bus. I have no idea how long it took to get everyone off. I don't remember any particular problems with baggage.
In the meantime the crew did their best but after a trans-Atlantic sector there wasn't too much left to hand out.
Point is this is all nothing new. I could get annoyed and complain that this happens every time the weather goes off on one and if it happened then why haven't they sorted it by now. But I take the view that if "they" were fully prepared for such events it would add to the cost of my ticket and I'm prepared to accept some inconvenience so that doesn't happen.
And, it happens where they are (supposedly) prepared. Check out Chicago next time snow hits. They'll be OK with some snow but if it really snows they simply stop flying.
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Dublin
Posts: 1,806
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I read an article earlier (bbc website I think) that said some aircraft didnt get unloaded last night (bags left on planes) as the handlers refused to work overtime...think it was T5, but I could be wrong...
However, if there were baggage handlers, I can't see why on earth the captain wouldn't delay the flight to ensure all the bags made it on as I think it was probably the last Manchester bound run from LHR, so would seem sensible just to delay for the bags, but maybe everyone who works for BA is so cheesed off with it they just wanna get home on time and couldnt care less about a few bags?!
However, if there were baggage handlers, I can't see why on earth the captain wouldn't delay the flight to ensure all the bags made it on as I think it was probably the last Manchester bound run from LHR, so would seem sensible just to delay for the bags, but maybe everyone who works for BA is so cheesed off with it they just wanna get home on time and couldnt care less about a few bags?!
As for the captain delaying the flight...he doesnt know where those bags are! The dispatcher probably doesnt know where those bags are! What if they are in transit from T3 or some other terminal? They are basically lost in the system until received by BA.
None of these are excuses however dont think that BD are any different when the excrement hits the fan. I commute with BD several times a week between LHR and DUB and have done so for 4 years now, I have had some HORRENDOUS experiences with them as well as with EI. And Im telling you, even with BA gone from T1 I can assure you I would much rather be commuting out of T5 when things get bad then I ever would the droughty, run down T1!
Another T5 story from me involved getting my usual back row seat (my fave place at end of week so I get on first and just sit quietly while all the other people enter a scrum for luggage space etc etc), Fri evening, LHR-MAN and positioned myself well at the gate for the call to boarding....only to be foiled by the groundstaff boarding the front half first, which made so much sense when the airbridge was attached, you guessed it, at the front door of the aircraft...took somewhat longer than normal to get everyone on board and seated. No offence Paddy, but I'm so very glad BMI have survived for the time being!!
I may be employed by the mighty one but Im still critical of their processes. but I also have a common sense approach!
I think T5 is a bloody brilliant facility. Much better then ANYTHING in the UK and a hell of a lot more user friendly then most other terminals in Europe. Yes it has issues with security (and the fact that those bliddy trains between the piers done seem synchronised) but it gets far too much unneccassary criticism. Its only a terminal, it cant control the weather but it can certainly keep you warm when it does hit....remember those tents that popped up regularly around the other terminals not so long ago??????