T5 has to wait for long haul April 11th, 2008

British Airways has announced that it will delay moving its long haul flights to Terminal 5 until 5th June, over one month later than the original date of 30th April. The move comes after the opening debacle last month that saw hundreds of flights cancelled and thousands of bags lost.

The move is actually a sensible decision as it is very unlikely that T5 could  cope with the increased traffic. A sentiment that is shared by British Airways and their chief exec Willie Walsh who said

“It is only sensible to ensure that Terminal 5 is operating consistently at a high standard before the move begins.”

BAA seem to have escaped much of the criticism for the fiasco but in the joint statement that was issued today, BAA’s chief executive Colin Matthews did sympathise with passengers…

“BAA fully recognises that the inauguration of Terminal Five has not been as smooth as we and BA would have wished. BAA regrets this postponement and we recognise the impact it has on other airlines.”

Even if it is somewhat of an understatement.