Overview
- British Airways requested up to £10 million in compensation after a Terminal 5 baggage-system failure left about 20,000 bags off flights over one weekend.
- Chief executive Sean Doyle wrote to Heathrow boss Thomas Woldbye seeking redress, firm assurances on reliability, and updated contingency plans.
- Heathrow said reliability has been restored and it is working with BA to reunite luggage, citing a baggage system that it says runs at 99% reliability.
- Passengers described hours-long waits, piles of unclaimed bags in Terminal 5, and flights leaving without checked luggage, with many told to file lost-bag reports.
- The dispute intensifies a funding debate after the CAA in March approved only a small rise in Heathrow’s passenger charges, as earlier breakdowns also hit about 7,000 bags in February and 4,000 at Easter.