In figures: BA's move to Heathrow Terminal 5
March 26, 2008
At 11pm tonight British Airways begins the three-mile move to Heathrow Terminal 5.
TW Blog has received some key statistics, so here's a quick look at what will be on the convoy:
- 27 shorthaul aircraft
- 360 baggage trailers
- 95 baggage tugs
- 106 baggage elevators and conveyors
- 240 cargo containers
- 122 cars and vans
- 16 ground power units
- 22 sets of aircraft steps
- 10 toilet servicing units
On top of that, a not-inconsiderable 2,500 customer service and baggage staff will be starting work at the new terminal tomorrow morning.
The move itself will require 250 staff (including 150 specially-trained volunteers) and leave Heathrow's south runway closed for five hours.
There's no room for error here: with Heathrow just shy of full capacity, BA can't just take a day out and do the move at leisure.
And once the move begins, Terminal 5 needs to be up and running quickly. Its first arrival hits at 4.50am tomorrow (March 27), and its first departure is scheduled for 6.20am.
Let's hope it all goes according to plan. The alternatives aren't pretty...
Nathan Midgley, web producer
Nathan Midgley
Comments (1)
The Heathrow chaos is an unmitigated disaster for BA and for people stranded and without baggage. My colleague was affected - going for a week's skiing in Canada and still (three days into the holiday) having no luggage!
BA could have handled things so much better - keeping people informed, closing the feedback loop and making sure they owned all the conversations that were happening about the fiasco at T5. We've put together some free consulting advice for BA on customer engagement and how things could have been better:
http://blog.freshnetworks.com/?p=43
Posted by Matt Rhodes | March 29, 2008 7:35 PM
Posted on March 29, 2008 19:35