[Anonymous]

[iptamenosgr]

Hi,

I am a frequent traveller out of LHR T5. I have noticed recently that the cleaning standards have dropped below the minimum. Every time I visited one of the mens room, I found out that some of the soap dispensers are either not working, or that water has been added to the soap. Some others include broken toilet seats, cleaners mopping the floor with a bucket full of black water. On one occasion in one of the smoking shelters I saw a cleaner spitting on one of the ashtrays and then using his cloth to wipe it. Shouldn’t these matters be addressed to the BAA? I can fully understand that some measures might be cost saving, for example spending less money on cleaning products, however I think that is unacceptable to pay so much in taxes to travel to London and get so little in return.

Thanks

[Airpocket]

I really wouldn’t expect anything from BAA.

[VintageKrug]

The issues you describe are entirely unacceptable. I have also experienced the lack of soap on arrival.

However, I doubt BAA reads this forum. So setting out your concerns here will not likely lead to any improvement for other passengers.

Why not address the situation by copying and posting your concerns in a letter or email to BAA. You can contact them using the online BAA “feedback” form below:

http://bit.ly/6hehnt

There is also the Airport Users Consultative Committee:

http://www.lhr-acc.org/complaints.htm

One point, the APD Tax you pay to fly from the UK does not go BAA.

APD is levied by the Treasury, so those funds go to Darling and his cronies to waste on whatever current crackpot scheme they have dreamed up, while the country slips further into bankruptcy.

BAA plc is a publicly listed company, whose principal shareholder is Spain’s Ferrovial. BAA does levy a fee for using its airports and also landing fees, which form part of the “taxes and fees” element of your ticket.

[MarcusUK]

BAA are an atrocious “Business”!
I fly mainly out of T4, the toilets at all times of day coming or leaving, are filthy. I wouldn’t even wash my hands there as the bacteria dirt, smell, & lack of basic hygiene would be much more a risk than my own thanks.

Not surprising, when you look around at security & who they employ at BAA, the attitude & clearly the management who recruit them is pretty obvious.

LHR is the filthiest airport in Western Europe. Completely futile to make any complaint…

[HBHLondon]

I use T5 on a weekly basis and I always find the toilets clean. Have you guys recently used any at CDG or AMS? I have and I was not impressed at all. While I am not a big fan of BAA, I think the loos at T5 are
some of the best maintained and clean in Europe. As for the cleaner’s spitting, this is not really BAA’s fault. Some people have strange and disgusting habits. Don’t we all?

[Hess963]

I find T5 toilet clean–T4 toilet in contrast no so good–the filtiest toilet in Western Europe was my experienced in Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1–there were not any soap to find and no hand dryer or napkins or similar to dry your hands — and this supposed to be an airport in Europe !! What a dismal indeed. That is why always bring your own wet towels/tissues for situations like this.

About the strange habits—yes, people do tend to have them–let us leave it that way or we lose more faith in humanity.

[PilotAddict]

I don’t know about T5 but i came through T3 on Friday and actually noted how clean the facilities were. Maybe it depends on time of day.

[Airpocket]

Is it any wonder the Aussies ridicule us ‘Poms’ for being ‘soapdodgers’?:o)

[MarcusUK]

Throush Schipol again on Thursday & sunday last week, spotless everywhere, clean well maintained, efficient, calm, yet very busy through the airport.

KLM lounges were totally full, including the 700 seat capacity Intercontinental lounge, yet the staff were motivated, polite friendly &cared abpout their work.
Totally the opposite of LHR, rude BAA staff, & toilets where the cleaners sign the paper but dont clean…i have seen them.

Go into the Skyteam lounge at T4, & you will see the toilets are cleaned every 15 minutes & often after when someone has been in that toilet is cleaned.
LHR is atrocious for hygiene..i would like to see some swabs taken from their public areas & sent to the path labs!
You would be very shocked.

Best to carry your own anti-bacterial hand gel through LHR these days, it is so bad.

[JordanD]

MarkRoberts – we all know of your distaste for BA/BAA, but do you really have to react negatively to everything?

My most recent T5 experience was lovely and the building seemed very clean. Sure, the terminal has its failings (don’t get me started about the (in)ability to take a photo from inside out due to the ‘hanging floors’), but cleanliness isn’t an issue.

[Airpocket]

Just how do the Dutch do it? Is it some thing in the water?Or, is it something they smoke?:o)

[RGiles2]

I visited the mens room at T5 last Monday and 4 out of the 5 soap dipensers were not working.

[iptamenosgr]

Personally I don’t have anything against BA. However they are the main/only operator out of T5. I guess to someone who flies maybe once or twice a year, this situation looks like a BA failure. Schiphol is something else. Everyone who’s travelled through there knows that it’s an ongoing investment for the country.

And please don’t get me wrong. I have seen poor cleaning standards in plenty pf places, FRA, ATH, FCO, CDG, but never so many times in a row as I have experienced in T5.

I didn’t write this post just for the sake of moaning. It’s just that finally the UK has got a terminal to be proud of- both facilities and architecture, and before it’s 2nd birthday it appears “tired” already.

[VintageKrug]

T5 is owned and operated by BAA plc, formerly the British Airports Authority.

The public areas (toilets etc.) are not designed or maintained by British Airways.

[Author]

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