Normal service resumes at Heathrow Terminal 5

Services at Heathrow Terminal 5 are operating as normal once again after a glitch in the baggage system forced the closure of check-in desks on Sunday.

Thousands of passengers were delayed yesterday, with many being given the unenviable choice of either re-booking their flight or boarding without their luggage.

But airport regulator BAA says the mechanical fault that caused the incident has now been fixed, and it is apologising for any inconvenience caused.

The disruption, which started at lunchtime, forced British Airways to close its check-in desks for several hours amid tumultuous scenes in the terminal.

Though no flights were cancelled, the airline has admitted that "a number of" passengers were unable to board their plane. Some reports suggest that about 60 travellers were left stranded and had to spend the night sleeping in the terminal.

Their situation was compounded by the closure of the Piccadilly line for track replacement work, which cut off London Underground links to the capital.

This is not the first time the T5 baggage system has been hit by gremlins, in spite of BAA claims that it is one of the most advanced in the world. During the terminal's March 2008 launch, luggage conveyor belts ground to a halt and 28,000 bags were mislaid.

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Comments

[Mark Melbourne]

I hope the baggage is sorted before Sunday as I fly out to the Bahamas. Its about time BAA sorted this out as people save all year round to afford a summer holiday and with the current climate you can understand people's frustrations when they have to cancel or are delayed. How can you go on holiday without your luggage, get real BAA.