Programs: BD*G, PC P. [EK, BA, QR & LI Blue]. Formerly H.Esprit White
Posts: 3,085
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jenbel
No, there isn't actually. It's all been equipment failures. From what has been posted on here, it's the 'notoriously militant BA baggage handlers' who have been getting out what bags have been going out, by doing it manually. Bit unfair to blame them, when they've probably been working their cotton socks off to handle what they can I think
What sort of equipment and was this not tested during the trial runs?
Programs: AC Prestige, PC Platinum, BA Blue (only retained for AMEX 2-4-1 and blind shareholder loyalty)
Posts: 3,269
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skimo
I wondered how long it would take before someone stooped to this cheap shot .
Bollox - not a cheap shot in the slightest.
Having worked in an environment where militancy ruled (and wrecked) a manufacturing company, it would not surprise me in the least if there was a connection.
Serious militants rarely change their attitudes I'm afraid. At the organisation I worked in, management frequently felt they had conquered it with some new deal, yet another pay increase - always linked to "productivity" targets that never seemed to be met long term. The problem would go away for a while - but always seemed to surface again at the most opportune and embarrassing moment to management to give a reminder that "we are still here - and want yet more concessions"
And I'm not saying todays events are linked. Just that they could be - and that I would not be surprised if this subsequently came out.
T5 Cancellations/Delays: The Horrors of Getting Landside
With many flights severely delayed or cancelled, be aware that it is not easy to get back landside. You have to be accompanied.
Not only that, but no staff seem to know where to direct you. I was 3 times directed to wrong places, during an escape attempt that took some 90 minutes. (This following a 2 1/2 hour delay to the flight, making the trip pointless).
The advice on how to get landside included:
- "You have to queue up at Customer Services" said the man at F Lounge reception (ie. the Customer Services point with most of the desks closed, and a queue of 50-60 people trying to get re-booked). Tried waiting here for half an hour and gave up, returned to the Lounge.
- "You have to try the ticket desk" said the lady at the Info Point in the F Lounge. Where's the ticket desk, I asked. "I don't know" she replied.
- "You need to go down to Gate 10 and use the special phone on the wall" said the GGL desk after speaking with Special Services. Gate 10 is the bus station in the bowels in the building, trapsed down there and found no sign of a special phone. Went back to the Lounge.
- "I don't know, it's up to BAA" said the other man on the F Lounge reception, "but I can ask a manager" he continued. Great, so I stood there and stood there, but he did nothing (yet I did see one familiar DM walking by several times).
- "You definitely need to go and join the long queue at Customer Services for however long it takes" repeated the GGL people.
And hour and a half later, after walking round and round I found someone who showed me where to go. And the answer is...
Behind the Gate 11 sign, past all the people huddled together and lying on on the floor like some refugee camp, at the desks against the far wall, is where they collect the people in separate groups - those with domestic BPs and those with international - and let them down the magic steps into the Arrivals Area.
So if you need to get let out, don't listen to any nonsense about Gate 10, customer services, ticket desk, head to the back of the building beyond the Gate 11 sign.
(5 hours stuck at T5, including a very pleasant hour in the lounge, several more hours stuck there due to the delay with NO info on the departure boards in the lounge, and then 1 1/2 hours trying to get out. It should be called Terminal Colditz.)
Well there are equipment failures; and there are equipment "failures" if you see what I mean.
Couldn't agree more. There is a remarkable correlation between our production problems at home games at Easter Road.
No suggestion of a go-slow among staff but a lot of the problems today were centred on staff security clearance, staff car parking, staff training and overall staffing levels. Staff were asked to volunteer to cover anticipated problems. Coincidence?
Behind the Gate 11 sign, past all the people huddled together and lying on on the floor like some refugee camp, at the desks against the far wall, is where they collect the people in separate groups - those with domestic BPs and those with international - and let them down the magic steps into the Arrivals Area.
So if you need to get let out, don't listen to any nonsense about Gate 10, customer services, ticket desk, head to the back of the building beyond the Gate 11 sign.
(5 hours stuck at T5, including a very pleasant hour in the lounge, several more hours stuck there due to the delay with NO info on the departure boards in the lounge, and then 1 1/2 hours trying to get out. It should be called Terminal Colditz.)
"In the end it was BA's old achilles heel - baggage problems brought them to their knees on the opening of T5"
CNN Centre: "Is it going normal now?"
"Oh for goodness sake Charles - absolutely not!"
"They always knew there were going to be little gremlins... and people like me were prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt"
He's got a person from New Jersey going to OTP / Bucharest.
Pax: "What BA told me was go ahead and get a room and we'll reimburse you. But the maximum they'll reimburse is £100"
Quest: "The problem, bear with me... (he shows a suitcase), is that you've got this!"
Pax: "I've been a BA pax for 35 years... it's not sadly gone wrong. This bag came out of Cameroun 14 hours late, it only arrived at my hotel at midnight. This is two failures in a row as far as I'm concerned."
I might put in my two cents here for what its worth.
I think that overall problems today were to be expected, its the first day that a massive project is being let loose on the public and no matter how much testing you do, problems will arise. Whenever we do anything like this at work (obviously on a far smaller scale), we test, test and test some more, but once we make things available to all, problems occur which you cant fully plan for.
Now could things have been done better - sure. Obvious answers would have been to have say 20% of the flights leaving from T5 and ramp up instead of a moving all T1 traffic on day one. More contingency plans should obvious stuff like baggage systems falter.
But then, in hindsight.....
Give it a few days, and it will be far better, a few months and we will think the hellhole that was T4 a distant memory. I wish BA luck with it, after all, it does affect all of us.
BAA 'own' it. It's operated and controlled by the manufacturer, 'Van der Lande'. No BAA-employees manage the baggage system. They don't even touch it. They're not even allowed to touch it.
