T5 opening will haunt airline for years

BA cannot afford a second catastrophe

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There is no truer saying than you don’t get a second chance to create a first impression. It is something which should be very much to the fore of British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh’s mind as he contemplates the transfer of some long-haul flights from Heathrow’s Terminal 4 to the newly-opened Terminal 5.

Not since the maiden voyage of the Titanic has Britain witnessed such a catastrophic launch as that seen when T5 opened its doors for the first time six weeks ago. Problems with staff training and the new, supposedly high-tech, baggage handling system led to the cancellation of dozens of flights. It was supremely embarrassing and will haunt BA for years to come.

The 400-plus delegates who last week travelled from Scotland to Houston, via Terminal 5, for the annual oil conference will view with scepticism Mr Walsh’s insistence that it is now “working well”. About 100 items of luggage failed to make the same flight as their owners, suggesting BA may be premature in transferring more flights. It cannot afford a second catastrophe.