One flight today left 21 minutes early which was quite strange. The average punctuality would have been a lot better were it not for 3 or 4 isolated delays of more than an hour.
Programs: BA Silver (hard landing) and Mucci des Sacs Exotiques.
Posts: 467
Terrible toilets in First lounge
Quote:
Originally Posted by BAAZ
My first trip through T5 today ...
The loo cubicles are huge although they have a manual push-a-button-quite-hard flush which is rather odd. Maybe they trust First pax to have clean hands?...
Thanks for the report BAAZ. I absolutely loved the space and design of the First lounge, especially the "outside" terrace, but was surprised by the toilets; I thought I had entered a disabled toilet by accident the cubicle was so big. The toilets do seem to have been a last minute afterthought, as though the budget had run out when it came time to install them.
The cubicle was huge but the washbasin and toilet were are all squashed up at one end. The washbasin was tiny and the fixtures all looked cheap and flimsy. It took me several minutes to locate the flush button - eventually found it hidden behind the toilet lid. I could hear the pipes banging and water trickling, it smelt bad and I was seriously unimpressed. I do hope that these were temporary toilets and they will be properly fitted out soon.
Has anyone else been disappointed by the loos, or was it just me?
Has anyone else been disappointed by the loos, or was it just me?
Repulsed, more like. Maybe I just had bad luck, but just about every loo I've been in in T5 Galleries (both North and South) has had a floor covered in used paper towels (because the bin is far from obvious and springs closed) and unflushed loos (because the button is hidden to 90% of the male population who never put the seat down ). They combine to create a rather unpleasant feeling upon entering.
Two trips through T5 today, and the place is a dream. A far cry from the way it was on opening day.
Arrival from HKG at T5B 25 mins early, disembarked straight away, easy (although down-down-down-up-up-down is hardly a "flow", more a mountain hike) trek to baggage, and the bags were out in minutes. Straight up the Arrivals Lounge for a yummy breakfast. Preferred not to use the Concorde Room, which looked like sitting in a goldfish bowl. It is also odd walking to the PCs past the treatment "tents" seeing fat blokes having their heads massaged. Yuk.
The check-in area this evening was deserted. Security took seconds to clear, but I still maintain that the tray system is totally moronic. The departures lounge is peaceful and tranquil, and the F Lounge a joy to be in. A short walk to gate 13 awaits.
If this is the way it will be from now on, no complaints from me. It's like Zone R, except bigger, better, grander, cleaner, more efficient, more luxurious. Very happy that the initial hiccups seem to have gone.
Two trips through T5 today, and the place is a dream. A far cry from the way it was on opening day.
Arrival from HKG at T5B 25 mins early, disembarked straight away, easy (although down-down-down-up-up-down is hardly a "flow", more a mountain hike) trek to baggage, and the bags were out in minutes. Straight up the Arrivals Lounge for a yummy breakfast. Preferred not to use the Concorde Room, which looked like sitting in a goldfish bowl. It is also odd walking to the PCs past the treatment "tents" seeing fat blokes having their heads massaged. Yuk.
The check-in area this evening was deserted. Security took seconds to clear, but I still maintain that the tray system is totally moronic. The departures lounge is peaceful and tranquil, and the F Lounge a joy to be in. A short walk to gate 13 awaits.
If this is the way it will be from now on, no complaints from me. It's like Zone R, except bigger, better, grander, cleaner, more efficient, more luxurious. Very happy that the initial hiccups seem to have gone.
Agreed! It's excellent.
Also agree with the bizarre "down-down-down-up-up-down", very odd that this route was needed when building from scratch.
Programs: BAEC Silver; Muccis du Monde des Peluches
Posts: 3,636
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smirnoff
The check-in area this evening was deserted.
Lots of reports like this now from Golds. Glad has improved a lot, but does this comment apply just to the F area or for everyone else?
Quote:
Security took seconds to clear,.
Is Fast Track now policed? Or does it not matter because it is very quick for everyone? (Of course, the whole point is that you want Fast Track precisely when things are not good for everyone, but let that pass for now.)
Programs: BA Silver (husband of a Gold), BA Amex PP, Amex Plat, Accor Fav Guest, Priority Club Platinum
Posts: 724
I think it now all hangs on how the T4 long haul switch is managed, to be honest. Saturday out, Sunday back (short haul to DUS) was fine, except for a few delays each way, but throw a couple of jumbos into the mix and it could be a distinctly different picture...
Programs: BAck to Bluescum. With a 7yo Silver daughter - What am I doing wrong? Muccihood makes it all better.
Posts: 712
I flew back in this afternoon. Perhaps hypercritically, I was looking for ways in which it presented a different first impression to T4 for arrivals.
Many differences, and most of them favourable. However, I have a specific gripe, which is that after less than a month there are signs of grubiness which could and should be managed better. Obviously walls are going to get scruff marks from wheelie bags, but it seemed unlikely that the number I noticed had appeared overnight. And someone is not vacuuming the floors very well - there are obvious build ups of dust and grit in corners which should not be there.
The down-down-down & up-up-ap aspect reminds me of a Georgian terrace - a lot is squeezed into a small footprint. I assume this is due to the initial planning constraints.
OTOH, whoever had the idea to put a Krispy Kreme franchise in there is a frickin' genius!
I think it now all hangs on how the T4 long haul switch is managed, to be honest. Saturday out, Sunday back (short haul to DUS) was fine, except for a few delays each way, but throw a couple of jumbos into the mix and it could be a distinctly different picture...
Well, if the rumour that a phased switch beginning early June and ending in October is to be believed, there will, on average be an additional 2500 passengers and their bags per day passing through in each direction, each month. I don't think we will really see dramatic changes from now on.
Programs: BA Silver (husband of a Gold), BA Amex PP, Amex Plat, Accor Fav Guest, Priority Club Platinum
Posts: 724
Quote:
Originally Posted by astralclouds
Well, if the rumour that a phased switch beginning early June and ending in October is to be believed, there will, on average be an additional 2500 passengers and their bags per day passing through in each direction, each month. I don't think we will really see dramatic changes from now on.
Two trips through T5 today, and the place is a dream. A far cry from the way it was on opening day.
...
If this is the way it will be from now on, no complaints from me. It's like Zone R, except bigger, better, grander, cleaner, more efficient, more luxurious. Very happy that the initial hiccups seem to have gone.
Having just returned from my holidays, which departed from T5 inside its first week, I have to agree. Everything seemed to be running pretty well (even though there were queues, none of them took more than a few minutes and I'd say it was comparable to Zone-R on an average to good day - with some fine tuning and a few more desks open it would probably be a lot better).
Sad that BA then let everything down with some appalling catering on the return leg. What culinary genius decided that cold asparagus in custard would be a nice meal after nine hours of starvation (unless you count 3 packets of Walkers crisps and a couple of bite-size Twix to share amongst the whole of CW). I shouldn't have to pack my own food on a CW fare!
The crew were good, it's a shame they didn't have anything better on hand to feed us. And I'm also not impressed that the arrivals lounge shuts so early (the hours for this don't seem to be particularly visible anywhere) - that's a couple of escalator rides I could have avoided!
Back to T5, I'd like to see some improved signage (like the hours for the lounge, or better indications for where fast-track actually is - I didn't find anything resembling fast-track at either security or immigration, with only one queue in operation at the latter). Otherwise it's a lovely airport...
T5 may have opened, the baggage system may have disintegrated, escalators and lifts may be breaking, security may be poorly laid out, the lounges may be flooding, but there is something even worse... something far, far, far worse...
There is no Hermes store.
How am I to buy my carrés for my women???? Buy it on the high street?!? These sorts of things are probably the only things worth buying duty free.
This is an absolute disaster.
I refuse to ever fly with BA ever again.
__________________ Zij die vliegen komen nooit tot rust. Zij die niet vliegen komen nergens.
...
). They combine to create a rather unpleasant feeling upon entering.
