THE union representing British Airways pilots added its voice to criticism of the airline yesterday, claiming the carrier's brand had become a "laughing stock" over woes at Heathrow's new terminal.
The British Airline Pilots Association said the recent debacle at Terminal 5 was symptomatic of problems the union had been warning the airline about for years.
BA has canceled hundreds of flights and seen thousands of bags delayed at the terminal since it opened on March 27. Critics have blamed the mess on both BA and Heathrow operator BAA.
"It is with great sorrow and acute embarrassment that BA pilots have witnessed the unhappy, distressing shambles that the opening of T5 has become," general secretary Jim McAuslan said in an open letter directed at both the government and London's financial district.
"Banks, institutional investors and analysts need to wake up to the fact that there is something very wrong at the heart of this company that is making our once great brand a laughing stock," he added.
The opening of Terminal 5 has been a public relations disaster for BA and BAA, which had hoped the new terminal would bring an end to frequent complaints about delays and overcrowding at Europe's busiest airport.
BA said yesterday that it remained "absolutely committed to resolving the problems associated with the initial move into Terminal 5." More than a week after the terminal opened, BA has yet to run a full schedule of flights.