Airlines are reacting furiously to British Airways” (BA) decision this morning (11 April) to postpone its long-haul move from London Heathrow”s Terminal 4 to Terminal 5.
A queue of carriers is lining up to condemn BAA and BA, with bmi heading the attack, labelling the move ”absolutely outrageous,” while the SkyTeam Alliance with perhaps most to benefit from BA vacating T4, is holding crisis talks with the airport operator.
”Today we were given 30mins notice ” this was done without any consultation,” a bmi spokeswoman told ABTN. ”The impact on Terminal 1 [where bmi is based] will be disruptive and have a knock-on effect.”
And bmi”s chief executive Nigel Turner was even more apoplectic, claiming the delay would affect 50 airlines at Heathrow. ”It is an absolutely outrageous announcement by BAA and done with no thought, consideration or consultation of any other airline other than BA,” he said.
”BAA and BA have shown a total disregard for all other airlines and their passengers at Heathrow in coming to this decision, because of their own shortcomings and their inability to implement an agreed plan. BA, through its mismanagement of the move to T5 will materially disadvantage all other airlines at Heathrow, while BAA, through its perverse regulatory system, will actually benefit financially.”
Even if the move had gone to plan, the overall building programme for Heathrow to 2012 is a gigantic logistical exercise requiring minute planning. The airlines have to co-ordinate a precise dance that will see dozens of carriers relocate ” many grouped within Alliances in the same building ” while bmi in particular was hoping that its T1 passenger experience would vastly improve as those in T2 moved to T4 with a new ”Heathrow East” created.
A Delta spokeswoman told ABTN that the US carrier was ”talking to BAA at the moment,” but the airline has already had a harsh introduction to the complexity of operations at Heathrow, having finally secured the right to start flights a few weeks ago under the Open Skies deal.
BA long-haul business passengers should therefore still turn up to T3 and T4 as the interregnum period runs its course, but perhaps mindful of the chaos surrounding T5”s opening, the airline merely says that it expects to move in June. Beginning or end of June is as yet, unclear.