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Troubles continue at Terminal 5
28/03/2008 14:03 - (SA)
London - British Airways cancelled a
fifth of flights from Heathrow airport's cavernous new £4.3bn Terminal 5 on Friday as the chaos of its shambolic
opening spilled into a second day.
The open-plan terminal is Britain's largest enclosed space,
equivalent to the size of about 50 football pitches, and was
touted as the answer to the delays passengers can face at the
world's busiest international air gateway.
British Airways said 80% of flights from Terminal 5,
including all long-haul flights, would operate on Friday and
that customers could check in both hand and hold luggage.
Some stranded passengers spent the night in the gleaming
terminal, reluctant to pay upfront to stay in nearby hotels even
though the authorities had promised to reimburse them.
"I am very sorry that the problems have meant that some of
our customers did not experience the true potential of this
amazing new building," British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said.
At least 33 short-haul flights were cancelled on Thursday
and a new state-of-the-art baggage handling system ground to a
halt, leaving only those with hand luggage able to fly.
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