Check-in Desks on Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow’s newest and biggest terminal, T5, was officially open in March 2008.

Destined exclusively for British Airways flights and passengers, T5 is, architecturally speaking, a great creation.

The problem is architecture cannot run itself and has to let people do it. And that is how a great terminal turns into a great disappointment. When it first opened, all the passengers could see was a severe lack of communication between British Airways and the British Airport Authorities: flights were cancelled, people had to wait in long queues for refunds or alternative flights, some of the baggage belts were not properly working which led to baggage loss.

The poorly trained personnel were not ready to handle the more than 36,000 passengers T5 received on the first day.

Everybody was disappointed: the customers, the transport authorities, the union representatives.

Seeing BAA’s lack of efficiency, the Competition Commission’s report on UK airport ownership even suggested that BAA should sell some of its important airports, such as Gatwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow and even Heathrow.

Things didn’t look too good for BAA then; but ever since March things have changed. T5 authorities (BAA and BA) have made great efforts to bring everything on a normal course.

They now strongly claim all is going very well, even above standards in some respects, and that the majority of the 11.5 million passengers they’ve had since March are highly satisfied with T5 services.

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Posted under Business