Heathrow's newest terminal is a truly beautiful facility, breathtaking in its designs and fitting as a 21st century airport. Over the next few months, it is likely to iron out its many quirks and function as originally envisaged.
Then, and only then, will passengers benefit from its services although few will miss its current doldrums. Why did the British Airports Authority (BAA) clutter its state of the art baggage sorting system and, even worse, why did its exclusive occupant, British Airways (BA), accept below standard performances?
I arrived into T5 two days after it opened for business on a long-haul flight from Los Angeles and was impressed by the impeccable architecture. News reports from the previous 48 hours filled the airwaves with horror stories of unsorted luggage clogging an overwhelmed system, but I figured technicians were hard at work to resolve anticipated glitches.
After all, media exaggerations on how dysfunctional the £4.3 billion T5 were probably unjustified, I reasoned. My own checked bag was slated for transfer to T1 for an onward journey on another airline. Surely, my logic dictated, British Midland International (BMI) would quickly fetch it from T5, and "reconcile" it with me on my next flight. This was not to be.
Truth be told, and although there were too many escalators to negotiate for transit passengers, I panicked after I saw that only one of the trains linking the remote B terminal with the main airport was running.
With a throng of my fellow passengers, I squeezed in the train, hoping to reach the bus that would whisk me away, for a flight that was scheduled to leave London in less than 2 hours.
The intra-terminal airport bus ride on Sunday morning was uneventful and I made the flight. My luggage, however, was left behind at T5 even though the BMI captain assured his passengers that the hour-long delay we experienced before leaving our stand was to reconcile luggage with passengers on board.
Ever vigilant, I even asked the gate agent whether any luggage was reported missing for transiting passengers before I boarded, and was assured that none were. Only when I landed in Beirut, five hours later, did I realise that my bag was in fact misplaced. Along with a dozen other tired customers, I filled a missing bag claim form, and went to my hotel.
Though I seldom pack a suit, as well as complete set of clothes, in my carry-on, I was glad to have taken my wife's advice, and made the necessary arrangements. Little did I know that I would wear the same clothes for four consecutive days.
In the event, and on Sunday evening, I happily concluded that my luggage would probably make the Monday service at the latest. Nothing to worry about, as these things happen all too often, and this was my draw of luck.
The BMI online tracking web-page confirmed that the bag was found and would indeed be flown on Monday, which meant that I could fetch it from the airport on Tuesday morning. For reasons that remain obscure, the bag was not flown on Monday as scheduled, but the following day, Tuesday, which meant that I could only be "reconciled" with it on Wednesday. I will spare the reader BMI's comical behaviour, whose highly specialised staff members could not be of assistance on the phone, because only one person was in charge of missing bags. It so happened that the young lady worked part time a few hours each day, and if one missed her, well there was always the following day.
For four days, I handed my entire wardrobe to the hotel laundry at night, whose efficient staff kept me clean and sane by early morning. They were surprised to see me walking in with a bag five days after I originally checked in, and disappointed to see me leave three days later. In all, I used my other clothes for a mere two days, before trekking back for my return flights.
Luggage
Needless to say, and as anticipated, my luggage made it from T1 to T5 at Heathrow, but stayed there for another 3 days after I returned home. BAA did not reconcile anything and BA eventually delivered my luggage three full days after I entrusted them with it. As a frequent traveller through Heathrow, I no longer cherish using its antiquated facilities, and am glad that BAA is eager to espouse a full-scale modernisation plan for its remaining terminals. Towards that end, flyers should know that travel through all of them will be taxing for at least the next five years, as T2 will be demolished, to give way to another new terminal, Heathrow East. In the meantime, T1, T3, and T4 will serve the leading networks of international airlines until perhaps 2013.
Yet, it is critical not to forget this experience, because chances are excellent that it will now become the norm for millions of us. Unlike supermodel Naomi Campbell, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer at T5 over a baggage row, we should take stricter measures to avoid unpleasant encounters.
While BAA and BA employees were not necessarily responsible for the debacle that is now routine at T5, BAA and BA management have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that what they most care about are returns, not the comfort of their customers. A few years ago, BAA sold itself to Ferrovial, the heavily indebted Spanish company, which is doing its level best to cut costs to save as much money as possible. Denials aside, today T5 is not a world-class facility because so many passengers are inconvenienced there, with cancelled flights and lost luggage.
Passengers will need to consider alternative hub airports, including Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, even Zurich and Vienna, because Heathrow is no longer as attractive as many assume. There are also Emirates' non-stop flights from Dubai to both Los Angeles and San Francisco starting this Fall. Although these are very long flights, one can avoid congested European facilities, even if one has to fly backwards for a few hours to reach such destinations as Beirut.
Architectural marvel
Simply stated, while an architectural marvel, T5 relies too heavily on computers to sort upwards of 12,000 bags an hour. By relying on automated systems, and therefore less on human employees, BAA and BA are putting their companies' financial welfare ahead of their customers, which is not always the smart thing to do.
Newspaper reports confirm that BAA's debt is huge, with Ferrovial relying on liabilities secured against the company's assets, including T5. Likewise, British Airways -which used to be the "World's Favourite Airline" - must see to it that its passengers receive utmost care. To my surprise, BA actually upgraded me on my return leg to Los Angeles, perhaps reasoning that the gesture would be necessary as they could not ensure delivery of my checked bag.
Over the years, my experiences with BA (and Heathrow) have been quite positive, especially whenever I flew in their premium cabins. BA is hoping to share with its customers "An experience to remember" at T5, although, realistically, they will not be able to "put the fun back into flying" before the next few months. It would be better if they did not boast about baggage and check-in procedures and, most important, if they relied on their dedicated employees rather than computer wizards who promise the moon and deliver a mini pond.
Recent incidents illustrated that BA rushed into T5 and as the principal operator in Europe's busiest airport, it must remember how it can restore its tarnished reputation, to once again become the "World's Favourite Airline". Otherwise, it will waddle through, just like England used to in the 1580s, when Philip II of Spain send in his Armada to conquer it. Ferrovial seems to have succeeded where Philip II failed. Not necessarily a fortuitous omen for the United Kingdom.
Dr. Joseph A. Kechichian is a commentator and author of several books on Gulf affairs.
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