Terminal Illness

I had just read on my paper, an article of the same title as this blog entry about how London Heathrow Airport's spanking new, £4.3 billion Terminal 5 had turned into a quagmire of chaos, misplaced bags, cancelled flights and stranded passengers?

The chaos caused by T5’s baggage-handling system breaking down last week was still being felt yesterday. Dozens of flights out of the terminal were cancelled as 400 volunteers worked to clear the backlog of 19,000 bags. The ultimate embarrassment: Thousands of bags were sent by road to Milan yesterday. Attribute the debacle to bad planning.

Staff were unfamiliar with the building and systems they were using, and “didn’t know where to go, what bags to get”, said a union official. One baggage handler told the BBC it was “a shambles the moment the doors opened” and blamed British Airways for the lack of training. Other staff reported that, due to poor morale, many had not attended training courses and trial runs.

A cabin service director said there were not enough people working at T5 on opening day. Despite the confusion behind the scenes, check-in staff continued to add luggage to the system, which is designed to handle 12,000 bags an hour. This then led to “meltdown”, with bags clogging up the underground conveyor system because baggage workers were not removing them quickly enough at the other end.

BA bosses had been warned by staff they were not fully prepared for the transition to T5. But aviation analysts said there was a general feeling of hubris – “Don’t worry, it will be okay on the day”. As it turned out, things were not okay.
– AGENCIES

While many can be quick to comment on what happened in London, many are still unaware that this so-called terminal illness has spread elsewhere and is also present in many other places. Many times management fail to see the importance of training and morale till it's too late. Neglecting the signs of potential problems in the early stages will breed a disaster that is waiting to happen. For London it was an expensive and painful lesson and who knows if there's more to come?

(See also: BBC News)