DYKWIA

Following my latest BA flight (SEA-LHR-MAN), BA have just about lost me as a future customer. My rant begins...

Check in and lounge in SEA was good. I checked in 2 full suitcases right on the 50lb limit as I'd been away for nearly 4 months. One of the bags had a case of wine that I picked up in Portland (very nice Pinot Noir).

The flight was also generally OK. There were 2 minor niggles :-

1. As usual, the AVOD was flakey at first. Once sorted out, it continued to work for the rest of the flight.
2. I read on here that dinner orders should not be by status, ie. all orders should be taken, and then the FAs would decide who would get what in the event of not enough of a particular item being loaded. This did not happen. The FA zigzagged up and down the top deck looking at the manifest. When she got to me (a lowly Silver), I was told that my choice was not available.

Anyway, the rest of the flight was OK, and after a 15 minute hold, we landed at 11:45. Plenty of time to make my 13:30 connection to MAN with a nice trip to the North Terraces.

We landed on the Northern Easterly runway, and made our back to T5 and then stopped just before the taxiway between T5C & T5B. The captain said there was a bit of congestion, and we'd be away in the next couple of minutes. 30 minutes later we were still there.

During these 30 minutes, countless other planes passed on the right hand side and made their way to T5, including a couple of 747's. The final straw was when the captain said that we were waiting for a towed plane to pass - and watched in bewilderment as another BA 747 was towed slowly passed.

We eventually pulled into a T5B gate at about 12:20.

I'm pretty familiar with with the transit to T5A, and managed to get in the lifts on my own and made my way quickly to immigration. I noticed that the connections area was a zoo (as usual), so I went through immigration and customs.

I made my way back up to departures, only held up by 3 BA staff who kept pressing the lift button just as the lift I was in was about to go (it was full). They eventually realised what was happening...

So, to the new South Security 'Fastrack' that I've heard about here. I quickly get through the initial check at about 12:35 and get to the screening machines. There is a queue of about 30 people waiting for the one xray machine. I look to my left, and see most of the machines working, with no queues whatsoever. Of course, no one is allowed to changed queues, and there was no chance of them opening up another machine for the fastrack.

The fantastically designed 1-2-3 system of the security process has now fallen by the way side, and it's one person at a time. This seems to actually work better as a lot of people need 3 trays anyway (bag, laptop, coat/keys/belt etc.).

The next problem was that the sensitivity of the X-Ray was switched right up, so nearly everybody required a secondary search. Of course, there was only one person able to do the search so it meant it took 20 minutes to get through. Just moving one person from one of the empty gates would have cut this time in half.

I made my way down towards the domestic gates - passing the shambles that is North Security on the way. I *think* I probably made the right decision going through South Security, and would have saved 20 minutes if I'd not gone through the 'Fastrack'.

No time for the lounge, as the LHR-MAN was boarding when I got there.

An uneventful flight down to MAN, and one of my bags was 3rd off! Second bag (with the wine) didn't show. So, after waiting 20 minutes I went to the baggage handling desks and was told my bag was still at LHR, but would be on the next flight down, and be delivered that evening. Why on earth couldn't they just page the people they knew who's bags had not made it rather than leaving them waiting?

Bag didn't show that night, but arrived the following morning... virtually destroyed.

The TSA had been through it, and everything inside was in one piece (including the wine!), but the handles were completely broken.

Listening to other people who's bags hadn't made it (about 15) makes you wonder just how good this new T5 system really is? How can one bag make a connection, but another get left behind? One lady was saying that her last 3 flights had all lost luggage.

So, a thoroughly miserable BA experience. And before anybody starts pointing to BAA/Servisair etc., I booked the ticket on BA and flew on a BA plane. It's not my concern who they subcontract work to. As far as I'm concerned, it's BA who messed up.

The whole T5 experience just doesn't seem to be getting any better. I know some of the BA guys/girls on here say that the surveys show that 90%+ of flights depart on time, but are there any stats on how long it takes from wheels down to exit? Or wheels down to back through connections/security? The whole no steps, no driver for steps, no buses seems to be more prevalent than before T5.

Anyway rant over. This, along with my long standing gripe about my lost/stolen 100 tier points is probably the final straw. I've got one redemption booked, and enough points for another one, but that will be it.

Cheers,
Rick