[Anonymous]

[Binman62]

T5 is in meltdown, Fri 17 /12/10, which sadly is more than can be said for the weather. Scores of cancellations and what flights are operating, are seriously delayed. My flight is operating but there is no departure time and no info depsite the fact it should have left 30 mins ago. BA have clearly lost the operational plot again as a result of a snow shower….Shocking and utterly unacceptable.

Only bright spot. Lounge is calm and the drink ls flowing nicely. However…just hope I get away as I can’t drive home….. hic…… Merry Christmas

[BABenji]

Indeed. I spent 9 hours there yesterday and then went home after not one, but two flights I had a seat on were cancelled.

I was offered a flight out of London City at 8am today, but a hotel at Heathrow. I politely declined, gave up headed back around the M25.

Having had this in the back of my mind since the first flight was cancelled, I hadn’t touched a drop of the sauce. It just looked at me, taunting me as I helped myself to another Diet Coke.

Good luck getting where you’re going to.

[Binman62]

all joking aside this is ludicrous. it is ,minus 1m anf there is very little snow,ow, indeed you can see grass clearly. yet it is mayhem. from the south galleries I can see 6 airbus waiting to park and they have been there an hour. the airport is fully operational except for T5 and is it clear that BA have completely lost the plot.plot. I have yet to a de icing rig at work….
there are worse places to be stuck Iknow and those in the lounge are in remarkable good humour but this is a national disgrace. T5 brought to it knees by a snow flurry!
time for another VAT.

[Tim2soza]

Binman62 – The only VAT that is pleasant is the liquid variety.

[Binman62]

ok now have crew in uniform taking space in the lounge.
there is also a very young pilot with a hat that is too big who has been sent in as the sacrificial lamb…. poor bugger. He has just said the snow was not forecast….. what weather forecast are BA getting. BBC has beent predicting it for 5 days.
the crew taking up seats is a bigger issue for me than the delay…. time for another drink.

[Binman62]

Flight has now been showing 4pm departure time for over an hour and no from BA thinks it is odd that at 4.40pm they are showing a flight leaving at 4!!!!! It of course must be me and the effects of the VAT I have had in the last 2 hours. No driving for sure tonight!! There is one very lonely and very isolated staff member at guiest services who is still smiling though gods knows why as wshe has been inundated since 2pm. No one at managment level anywhere near. No wonder they have a relationship problem with their staff.

[Potakas]

I am at Edi, it’s only BA that has suspended all of its flights to Lhr, LGW,Lcy

[ekond111]

P.Sespas

What time have they scheduled your flight for…I think LCY is closed so are you travellng from EDI to LHR or LGW…are you connecting to a long haul flight….has this happened to you before when trying to make a longhaul connection – in a nutshell BA’s shorthual fleet is a little fragmented at the moment.

[Binman62]

Wish I could post a picture of the BA departure board. A sea of red from all the cancellations on short haul. Looks like they have pulled the plug on all shorthaul for the rest fo the day. My 14.50 departure now shoing 17.25 but no gate and it is now 17.20. The simple truth is that BA are not prepared, the have insufficient deicing, if any, actually working and they have lost control of their operation at T5. Back to the bad old days. They simply cannot be allowed to use weather as an excuse.This is simple operational management incompetance on a biblical scale.

[Potakas]

I am going to LCY for the weekend… What an inspiration!!! The Lcy is open since 14.00, just now they resumed the LCY flights and I delivered my baggage. But for Lhr and LGW are still suspended only one has canceled and there no snow here.

[RogerVictor]

In a situation like this there are two main problem,

1) The runways need de-icing every 6 hours or so. They shut one runway and operate on a single runway for a period of up to an hour. They then shut the other runway and de-ice the original one. This is usually staggered to try and minimise operational impact.

2) Aircraft must be de-iced. It takes up to 25mins to de-ice an aeroplane. BA do not have a de-icing rig per plane and therefore resources are stretched.

A plane calls ready to start it’s engines – due to the reduced ability to push planes through the system from single runway, reduced visibility, increased runway occupancy times in slippery conditions – the usual movement rate at Heathrow of about 86 planes (take off’s and landing’s) is reduced. Sometimes by up to a third.

There just isn’t any slack in the system. It’s not BA’s fault it’s not Ferrovial’s fault it’s not ATC’s fault. There are just situations where delays happen.

We have to remember that throwing yourself down a concrete strip at 200 mph to get airborne and fly for up to 12 hours has inherent risks. High energy, high speed maneuverers in icy conditions are not good. Everything must slow down. It’s just part of it.

I’m not saying things couldn’t be done better – especially communication – but let’s think about why the delays happen rather than looking for an outlet for our frustration.

[Binman62]

RogerVictor…accept everything you say and that is what contingency planning and operational resilience is all about. Virgi LH and just about everyone else operating from what I can see departing. Only BA in chaos. The terminal is like a zoo.
There is clearly no plan, no communication and a complete loss of control here. Staff are few and far between yet almost every short haul flight has been chopped.. This is not weather, it is bad planning and incompetent management at the operational level. Heads should roll.

[RogerVictor]

I think the problem is resources – BMI and DLH will have cancelled flights but the impact isn’t as obvious due to the relative size of the operation. If Frankfurt is snowbound (I give that they are probably 10 times more efficient than Heathrow) it isn’t the BA operation in turmoil it would be the base carrier – DLH that suffers the ‘most obvious’.

[ekond111]

P.Sepsas

Oh I see one flight has been cancelled…flights are delayed due to the fleet being all over the place..getting to London – alternatives are still available – granted disrupted – try getting to the far east or the US (maybe one day you will travel there frequently) – all things considered equal – Europe to day is still relatively easy to navigate to/from – even during the ‘Volcanic disruption’ – I was still able to travel to hell holes like athens (very 3rd world over there – you could get back to London – forget what the increases the travel operator had added on – but the middle man (don’t you love an oppurtunist had to add their cut – money talks in Athens) certainly took advantage….but then again it is a 3rd world attitude – they should call it ‘Grease’

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