Incidents of lost belongings have become so frequent that recently passengers have been advised not to check in their suitcases but to take them into the cabin as carry-on luggage. Moreover, figures released by the Association of European Airlines show that British Airways flights are delayed much more often than others. In April-June 2007, 44% of long-haul and 36% of short-haul aircraft of this airline arrived with a delay of more than 15 minutes. Lufthansa and Air France were more punctual. Less renowned carriers like Ryanair or EasyJet were not included in the study.
Management acknowledges that Heathrow and British Airways are going through a difficult period. The head of the Air Transport Users Council, Simon Evans, stated that the situation will not improve until the fifth terminal opens next March.
“There is chaos at British Airways,” he said. “Until the fifth terminal opens, tourists are better off taking their luggage with them – of course, where that is allowed. Otherwise, they should ensure that the owner of the suitcase can be easily found. Of course, the situation at Heathrow only exacerbates the problem. British Airways should ask a few questions about why they are squeezing every drop out of the airport and overcrowded terminals.”
Press secretary of the Transport Workers' Union, Andrew Dodgson, says that the crisis is rooted in massive job cuts. “We have repeatedly warned British Airways that they simply will not have enough workers to deal with crisis situations,” he says. “The airport is operating at the limit of its capacity, so even minor disruptions lead to serious consequences. Moreover, to prepare for the launch of the fifth terminal, British Airways decided to send employees for training at an extremely unfortunate time. We believe that too many employees went for retraining too early, and now there is no one to oversee ground operations.”
The AEA report shows that out of 350 passengers on a British Airways Boeing 747, approximately 10 do not find their suitcases on the carousel, and if the current pace continues, the company will lose 1.3 million suitcases this year. The figures for Air France and Lufthansa, each of which carried 3 million more passengers than British Airways in the same period, are significantly better: they lose the luggage of only one in every 62 passengers.
According to AEA, on average 85% of lost suitcases are returned to their owners within 48 hours. “Most people get their belongings back, but still every year 1 million people are without their suitcases for two days,” says Evans. “And another 250,000 wait even longer for their luggage.”
A British Airways spokesman admits: “Baggage handling leaves much to be desired, and improving it is a top priority.” He emphasizes that unlike Amsterdam Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle Airport (hubs for Dutch KLM or French Air France), which are 80% utilized, Heathrow operates at maximum capacity, leaving no reserves for potential disruptions. The airline explains its baggage problems by a UK government regulation that allows passengers to take only one item on board regardless of whether the flight is to or from Britain. Other European carriers allow two items as carry-on luggage.
British Airways CEO Willie Walsh, along with other top managers of the company, recently met with UK Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly and tried to change this rule. Airline representatives say that due to the introduced restrictions, the system, which is designed for 18,000 suitcases per day, handles 23,000. The company admitted that about 20,000 suitcases are delivered to passengers late, although baggage handlers claim this figure is closer to 40,000.
British Airways called for volunteers from Gatwick Airport to sort out the untimely baggage as quickly as possible. Some of it was sent to Milan for sorting. However, it is often difficult for passengers to get information about lost items. Readers of The Daily Telegraph complain that their emails go unanswered and information about the whereabouts of suitcases is often incorrect.
Translation by Gzt.ru