=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2008/03/28/financial/= f064924D81.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, March 28, 2008 (AP) Troubles at Heathrow's New Terminal 5 By GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press Writer (03-28) 06:49 PDT LONDON, United Kingdom (AP) -- Looks great, doesn't work very well. That was the verdict on Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5 building early Friday, as embarrassed British Airways officials said flight cancellations may extend into Saturday. The new building, praised as a solution to Heathrow's chronic congestion, has been hit by severe baggage handling problems since it opened Thursday morning, leading to long lines of angry, stranded passengers. Airline officials were forced to cancel 68 out of 380 flights in and out of the terminal Thursday and to restrict passengers to hand luggage only. On Friday they said they hoped to operate 80 percent of scheduled Termin= al 5 flights, but cancellations included BA flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. "We got off to a very poor start," BA chief executive Willie Walsh said Friday. "I sincerely apologize to our customers." Airline and airport operator BAA certainly hoped for better when it invited dozens of reporters and camera crews to the grand opening Thursday of the $8.6 billion facility. They were on hand to capture passengers bedding down in the terminal for= a waits and flight arrival screens lit up with flights that were not arriving. "It is diabolical," said Tony Pascoe, 35, who had hoped to accompany his mother to Vienna on her first-ever flight Friday. "I am a frequent traveler, and this is the worst experience ever." The problems were almost immediate. Hour-long waits turned into hours-long waits as flights were canceled. One British Airways flight left for Paris without any of its checked baggage, airline officials said. "I'm not a happy bunny," Sarah Lowdon, whose flight to Newcastle was canceled Thursday afternoon. "They said they'd refund my money, but the time I've lost is mine." Passengers stared in vain at flight status boards. "The terminal looks nice, but it would be better if it worked," Vincent Groccia said as he waited to see if his flight for Paris would depart late or be canceled. "I tried to check my bags, but they told me the conveyor system is not working." Many passengers that were able to land and get off planes waited up to t= wo hours for their luggage. Anne Cecilie Kjelling, on a two-day business trip, said British Airways provided no information about the baggage delay and no seats for the stranded. "They had no idea where anything was," said Kjelling, who had arrived on= a flight from Oslo, Norway. "They did bring us some water after we had been waiting for an hour. They apologized over the loudspeaker, but the guy I spoke to said he didn't know what was happening." There were other problems at the airport that were minor annoyances in context of vanishing luggage and long hours in seats made for short stays: a few broken escalators, some hand dryers that did not work, a nonfunctioning gate at the new Underground station, and inexperienced ticket sellers who did not know the fares between Heathrow and London subway stations. "We always knew the first day would represent a unique challenge because of the size and complexity of the move into Terminal 5," British Airways' Director of Operations Gareth Kirkwood said. "We are working extremely hard on solutions to these short-term difficulties." ----------------------= ------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2008 AP <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".