By the time you read this, the new British Airways terminal at Heathrow in London might be running like clockwork. At the 
moment, it is not. Chances are this state of affairs will continue for at least another few days. If you’re unlucky enough to have been caught in the chaos, you have my deepest sympathy. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, because although T5 is officially a BA terminal, Qantas does have “code-share” flights going in and out too.
Photo by James Cridland
Terminal 5 does have some fantastic features, and will no doubt be a cruisey place to fly into and out of once it's operational. But, for somewhere that was intended as the latest and greatest - and cost literally billions - things are not going well. For example, 15,000 pieces of luggage were stranded in a single day; piles of bags are building up in other terminals; many flights have been cancelled, many others have been delayed, and many, many tempers frayed.
But, but, BUT… delayed passengers may get the last laugh. If you were one of them, you could be entitled to compensation, so do check out the set of questions and answers regarding air passenger compensation on The Guardian’s web site.
Meanwhile, T5 blunders on. What on earth is the problem? BA blames staff familiarisation (huh?) and delays in screening employees as they arrive at work. And there have been computer glitches. To find out more, and keep up to date, visit the ever-reliable BBC.
Yes, it’s hard to believe that, in 2008, there could be inefficiency on such a large scale. But I’ll keep my caustic comments to myself. Instead, I’ll sigh with nostalgia, just like every other Heathrow-hardened traveller. Because, let’s face it, nothing ever seems to go according to plan at that place. Ah, the memories...
Photo by James Cridland