Originally Posted by
alect
Since when is that a world first? If I understand their description/definition of "flow-through" several other airports come to mind: HKG, MEL...
It is not. Johannesburg (that's right, an airport in Africa) has employed this concept for as long as I can remember. There is nothing particularly revolutionary or even remotely special about "flow-through" design: it is just common sense that even my 10 year-old cousin could figure out without trying terribly hard.
I particularly like this:
Originally Posted by Sunday Times
You walk straight to one of the 160 bag-drop desks, dump your suitcase and head for security, where every scanner machine is working.
Wonderful. Really, it is, and I hope it is true. But, very conspicuously, not a single mention about the staff that will be needed to effectively man 160 desks and keep every single scanning machine operating. Because unless something has drastically changed or will change at BAA and BA regarding working practices and policies, my guess is that we will be lucky if half the machines will be manned. Last time I was at LHR, only ONE machine was open out of the four at the T4 connections area. Some people complain about the set-up at AMS with all gates (except Schengen) having their own screening area; at least they cannot skimp on personnel, because if they intend on boarding a flight, security agents are a requirment rather than an option."
I think this quote is very apt:
Originally Posted by Sunday Times
Now that BAA has created a world-beating building, the questions for BA are: can it use the move to create a modern corporate culture? Can it negotiate new agreements with the unions that will reduce their ability to disrupt services in future? Or will BA stick to its old ways and mess the whole thing up, just as it messed up the move to T4?
Hopefully BA will take the oppurtunity for change, at all levels of the company. Hopefully they will not hope that that change will magicially appear because T5 is pretty with a Gordan Ramsey restaurant and a London Room. Hopefully they will fix the problems today that will not simply disappear because of a move to a new facility.