Sorry, but am I alone in being unsurprised by the continuing problems at Heathrow's Terminal 5? What evidence was there to suggest that a) the opening would go smoothly, and b) that any difficulties would be sorted out swiftly?
Aside from the recent history of Britain's opening- night failures - the Dome, the Millenium Bridge - we have British Airways' unimpressive record to go on. Never mind trying to recall a recent failure to make a comparison, think of a success - outside of BA's business-class cabin revamp.
Airlines can suffer delays and cancellations and misplace bags for many reasons. But sorting out the problems once they arise should be straightforward if you have both the systems and the necessary labour in place. In pursuit of that magical 10% margin, BA has been preoccupied with systems at T5 - forgetting that aviation is a service industry and, outside of the low-cost sector, service means employing sufficient numbers to serve.
Terminal 5 will undoubtedly prove a success - once BA throws enough staff at it, and rewards them. The investors will have to wait Willie.