Sorry, this thread is the best I could do when searching for 'bussing'.

Last night, MAN-LHR, turned off 27R to see all the T5A domestic stands empty, yet we had to taxi to the south end and park up at a remote stand and wait for busses (albeit, not too long), but it does add time to the arrival and it is irritating - especially if you're making a connection and especially when we passed so many empty stands. Why does stand allocation do this? Would it be so disruptive, if they need the aircraft on a remote stand, to tow it off the stand after arrival?

My guess is that you aircraft was going to be used for a no domestic flight next. I think that if they had used a stand and then moved it to another it would be an extra movement and stand use that they would have to pay BAA for as well as increasing turnaround time.

I've travelled on AZ from LIN (I think - or somewhere with hardly any airbridges) with my son who was in a wheelchair (broken leg). We were driven in a special van with some form of scissor-lift system that lifted us up to the aircraft and allowed him to be wheeled up to the aircraft door. (Of course being 5 years old he thought this was the way to travel and was rather disappointed to discover buses, queues etc in later years.)

Presumably something similar is done for wheelchair passengers when buses are used?

Yes, my wife has had to use the "catering door" a few times.Different airlines/airports have different devices varying from a simple scissor lift with rails to an enclosed "box" as part of a high lifter that takes you all the way to/from the aircraft.

BA treat it's F customers so, so badly!! I'd like to see one of their executives who has paid 16k round trip squeeze on bus and wait 20 minutes before even leaving for the a/c.

Never again!!

I had the pleasure of experiencing bussing upon arrival at the wonderful new T5 last week. First we waited ten minutes for stairs to arrive at the stand (allegedly because they changed the stand at the last minute), we were only in WTP, but they crammed as many CW, WTP, and WT passengers as they possibly could on our bus before allowing it to leave. Basically the surly bus loaders held up 95% of the folks on the bus for an additional 5 minutes while they crammed on maybe five more folks, making it as uncomfortable as possible for everyone on the bus for the drive to the terminal.

While apologizing for the delay, the pilot made sure to point out the big advantage of this, a short schlep to immigration from the bus drop-off, but it was still a poor overall experience.

I think we've all experienced that at some time and not just at LHR.

Passengers Health & Safety seems to get forgotten about as soon as you leave the aircraft steps/terminal building. Next time I get forced to enter a crammed bus I'm going to refuse until they find me a empty bus with a seat.

They were more insistent than any other bus loaders I recall ever seeing, someone had to finally point out that all the empty room they saw in the aisle towards the back (which wasn't much room anyway) was actually a few small children standing in the aisle, not empty room more passengers could be herded into.

Admittedly I don't have much experience with such buses since 98% of my travel is within the US and they are rarely used for such purposes within the US, I'm sure it's worse in some places, but I kind of expected better from BA (this being my first long-haul experience with them, having only flown them for a few intra-Europe flights previously).

We got bussed again from T5C today on the 268 from LAX. Lots of unhappy people. A certain celeb got met by SS at the stairs and was driven away in a private car.

I'm amazed by the unsuitable vehicles they use for bussing. I know other airports bus you around, but they all seem to have suitable vehicles for the task (big, wide, plenty of standing room, bars to hold on to, etc). LHR buses remind me of the good old USSR.

Compare, if you will, the bussing experience on arrival at SSH from an RJ flight from AMM.

The Saintly One was the only passenger in J on the flight. As soon as I got on the bus, it took me (on my own) to the Terminal. The Y pax were put in a separate bus.

HIDDY is quite right, of course. People should simply refuse to be crammed onto buses at T5. A bit of passenger action will help focus the minds of BA. All the more so if the pax who are protesting are those in F or J. The next time I am shouted at (yes shouted at) by a BA employee operating the buses to remote stands to move down inside the bus so they can cram another few pax on board, I shall simply get off.

The joke is: how many people can you fit on a BA bus? Answer: three more. Shame it's not a very funny joke.

....which infuriated me. Only takes a few of those cars to ferry all the F pax. I knew I should have befriended him in the LAX lounge...

Funny you say that, i arrived from LAX on the 278 last week sat up in F. We parked up at T5C, waited a while for stairs to turn up. Captain apologized for the delay and the fact we where having to be bussed back to T5A saying we have a nice big new shiny terminal but its not quite finished yet ! then we where dumped on a bus with the folks who where sat down the back, not thats theres anything wrong with the people sat in economy. Just didnt seem to fit in with the whole F experience. Although they did manage to find a private car for the Hollywood A-Lister who was sat infront of me.