[MartynSinclair]

has keeping Iris been mentioned yet??

if not, KEEP IRIS open….

[WoburnMan]

MS – IRIS is only good if there’s a small queue of people using it. In my opinion the BAA need to invest in more of them. I would rather queue, I find it a lot quicker …

[MartynSinclair]

Jason – agreed, but the 2 IRIS boxes remain better than none!

Maybe someone could sponsor more boxes….

[WoburnMan]

Agree with you MS – one was down again last night. I think there’s enough of us on BT that would do something like that I am sure …

[JohnHarper]

If I wanted to improve T5, I suppose I wouldn’t start from here as the saying goes.

The big one would be reduce the walk to the lounges, create a lounge in pier C, reduce the shopping mall by at least 50% and provide spaces like SIN does for R&R for non-premium passengers. Improve signage and security. Security is badly organised and usually inadequately staffed alongside immigration. Given that the numbers expected must be able to be predicted, there is no excuse for the continuing chaos.

[AnthonyDunn]

@ JohnHarper – 01/03/2013 17:05 GMT

With Heathrow Ltd already proposing substantial increases in passenger levies, reducing the shopping mall by at least 50% would lead to proposals to increase passenger levies and thence fares by an even greater amount. Shopping is at least optional.

[JohnHarper]

AnthonyDunn, I’m well aware of the proposal at LHR for them to rip us off some more for using their substandard facilities.

That said, you have to have a vision, T5 isn’t going to improve in any of the ways that are being suggested anyway and especially not if there is a possibility that it will cost them money which they might not be able to claw back one hundred fold.

[FormerlyDoS]

Something like this would be a start

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e88YzP8adiw

[WoburnMan]

FDoS – ;o) !

[Binman62]

Ian_from_HKG – 01/03/2013 02:20 GMT

openfly – 16/02/2013 20:01 GMT : BA controls its own gate allocation at LHR. ATC just pass that information to the crews after landing

Which makes the late announcements of gates particularly unforgivable. Couldn’t they at the very least tell you whether you are leaving from the main terminal building or from the satellites at the time you check in? That way you could settle into the most appropriate lounge and not have the nervous board-watching in case you are in the A lounges and are told, less than half an hour before the gate closes, that you are leaving from T5C?

I need to come to BA’s defence on this…to a degree.

Firstly despite its size T 5 is still cramped for an operation of the size and diversity of BA, for example just 1 stand/gate in T5A can handle a wide body long haul aircraft and when it does 2 short haul are lost.

Starting with short haul. The vast majority leave from A and so in the morning the is no reason why the first wave of departures is not clearly stated on boards long before departure. In most instances they are however as short haul engineering takes place over night and so any over run may cause changes in the programme.

As the day progresses short haul will be affected by ATC passenger and other delays resulting in operational slippage and near constant to changes to the stand plan. In some instances the schedule alone will prevent gates be notified less than 40 minutess before departure as the aircraft operating the service must be physically on the stand before the gate is published.

Due to the poor design and BAA costs cutting passenger flow from T5B to A is a nightmare and so publishing gates in T5B or C will only be done when they are certain that a flight will indeed operate from that building.

Long Haul has its own issues. Firstly LHR is home base and so the engineering requirement for BA’s fleet is higher at home base. This results in a huge level of towing of aircraft to and from the engineering base some miles away at the other end of LHR. Where this is not required the basic amount of time on stand is 3 hours if an aircraft turning round and 90 minutes when the operating aircraft comes from the base. Consequently 90 minutes is the point when stand information can generally be relied upon and could be published.

Enter the airport authority. Heathrow do not want people at gates they want them inside retail spending. This it at odds with airlines who want them at gates and ideally at holding gates such as SIN where once you are in you can’t get out. That helps with locating missing passengers and taking early action to remove bags.

The airport authority will not permit gate publication more than 1 hour before departure and this operates across LHR. In some instances it can be gotten around as some carriers have specific gates. More over no other airlines controls stands at LHR and so whilst the gate may be on a boarding card in T3 or4 it will not be on the departure boards which are controlled by Heathrow airport Star centre.

Sadly this is not going to change and whilst there is a mixed fleet operation at T5 and unless the airport is substantially expanded it is never going to happen.

It is not entirely therefore BA’s fault and it is one aspect of their operation that I am reluctant to criticise as they simply do not have the controls that many think they have.

[Bucksnet]

If Heathrow want people inside (airside) and spending, then why do they not speed up the security process?

People in queues waiting to go through security are not spending any money.

[Binman62]

I suppose an argument could be made for them actually causing queues and creating within passengers a false need to be at the airport 3 hours before departure ” to be processed”.

The reality is that few regulars are every there 3 hours before departure and many of us wish to pass through quickly and efficiently.

Some years ago BA ran a campaign in T1 and T4 under the tag line

“Bored Waiting?…..Board Early!”

It was pulled in less than 24 hours such was the fuss from the retailers and the airport authority.

No one should be under any illusion that security queues and the fears of long processing times are a delight to the retailers.

[Author]

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