The Opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 - Twelfth report : Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

BAA opened Heathrow's fifth terminal for business on 27 March 2008, after six years of construction at a cost of GBP 4.3bn, on time and within budget.

Passengers had been promised a 'calmer, smoother, simpler airport experience'.

Multiple problems, however, meant that on the first day of operation alone, 36,584 passengers were frustrated by the 'Heathrow hassle' that Terminal 5 (T5) had been designed to eliminate.

Problems were experienced with: the baggage system; car parking; security searches; and, aspects of the building itself.

When the baggage system failed, luggage piled up to such an extent that it was transported by road to be sorted off-site.

According to British Airways, 23,205 bags required manual sorting before being returned to their owners.

The Committee finds that most of these problems were caused by one of two main factors - insufficient communication between owner and operator or poor staff training and system testing.

The Committee was pleased to find that steps were being taken at all levels to address the problems at the source of T5's problems and that BAA, British Airways and the union Unite are working together to make Terminal 5 a success.