How bad can it get?

 

The Heathrow story is just too compelling to drop. LHR is simply the focus of evil in the modern travel world, and it’s the best conceivable argument for NEVER checking a bag:

Last night, hundreds of passengers were forced to sleep at the terminal after waiting for their luggage for up to six hours.

By 4am queues of hundreds had formed, with airport officials handing out boxes of blankets, sleeping bags and bottled water.

Tempers boiled over and some passengers were close to tears when they were told 75 flights had been cancelled today - some for the second time in 24 hours.

By noon, the situation had become so bad that the union representing BA staff was forced to issue a statement asking angry passengers not to abuse or attack staff. - thisislondon.co.uk

Where’s the UN High Commissioner for Refugees when you need him? This is astounding. The story quoted above has some classic lines: “national disgrace and a national humiliation,” “forced to stuff her wedding dress into her hand luggage,”  “one of the worst days in history,” “I am embarrassed as hell to be a British citizen.” 

The failed baggage-handling system has 10 miles of conveyor and 140 computers to make it work. Parking spaces may have been the ultimate problem. The fiasco started when much of the baggage-handling staff were late for work because the new terminal didn’t allow for enough employee parking.

It all got worse: 15 of 16 elevators weren’t working. With classic British understatement, one official said, “It was disappointing that the opening day was marred by operational difficulties.”

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