The opening of T5 at London Heathrow was so outrageously botched, sometimes "shambolic" didn't seem good enough to describe it. But in the months since, have things changed? And, more importantly, can you fly there and hope to see your checked bags ever again?
NewYorkology blogger Amy Langfield transited the terminal three times during a recent European trip, and described one experience in T5 as "flawless." Really?!]]>
A common luggage trick is to attach a brightly colored belt or tag to your generic checked bag. But did you know the trick also works on kids? No way are Cruz and Romeo Beckham going to be able to evade mom Victoria while they're both sporting those yellow polos. Well, the bodyguard behind them probably helps too...
Beckham told a reporter she turned down a role in the "Sex and the City" movie because it was being filmed during rehearsals for her Spice Girls world tour. Now that the tour is over, Posh is focusing on her dvb fashion line as well as sporting the designs of "Project Runway" winner Christian Siriano all over creation. Sources close to the family say Cruz and Romeo find fashion "yucky."
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· Victoria Beckham Parties At That Hot LA Club "DMV" [Jaunted]
· Sports Travel: Another Season, Another Chance To See David Beckham [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: JustJared]]]>
There are plenty of offensive things one can wear on a plane--a too-short skirt, for example, or a political message for the President. Add Optimus Prime to that list: A British IT consultant was not allowed to board his British Airways flight because of his "Transformers" T-shirt.
Brad Jayakody has a cool enough job that on a business trip to Dusseldorf, he was allowed to dress down for the plane. But after one of his colleagues was searched, he was pulled aside and told his shirt was inappropriate.
So a silk-screened gun is the same as a real gun now? We've just got to be more careful with our T-shirt selection. But the real person in danger? Shia LaBeouf. After all, he's a known associate of Mr. Prime.
Related Stories:
· Heathrow Security Tackles Transformers T-shirt Threat [The Register]
· Willie Says T5's Working Well [Jaunted]
· Shia LaBeouf's Cold-Plane Defense [Jaunted]
[Photos: The Sun, Recycled Teenager]]]>
Remember last month when always-infuriated supermodel Naomi Campbell supposedly flew off the handle at London Heathrow? We do!
She's now been officially charged in London with assaulting a policeman, disorderly conduct and "using threatening behavior and abusive words to cabin crew." Her trial starts June 20, and she's facing a maximum sentence of six months in jail plus a five-figure fee if convicted on all counts.
Let this be a lesson to you, frustrated fliers: No matter how bad Terminal 5 may suck, it's probably better than a half-year "holiday" in a British prison.
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· Naomi Campbell Charged with Assault [WWD]
· Supermodels Go Through Baggage Hell, Too [Jaunted]
· Bad Behavior Travel: Crabby Campbell Continues to Carouse [Jaunted]
[Photo: AFP]]]>
British Airways boss Willie Walsh must be smiling this week because he's going around telling anyone who'll listen that the disaster that was the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow is now "working well."
So well, in fact, that BA is now finally going to move the rest of their flights over there--yep, the flights they were going to move back in April. On June 5, eight destinations from Terminal 4 will move to T5, including flights to New York's JFK. The rest will be moved over in the next couple of months.
Willie probably wasn't smiling when the news came out over the weekend that "a small number" of incoming foreign passengers in the early days of T5 were dropped off at the wrong doors and let into Britain without showing their passports. They probably just turned around and flew home in disgust after their their luggage never showed up.
Related Stories:
· British Airways To Begin Shifting Long Haul Flights [IHT]
· T5 Foreign Passengers Unchecked [BBC]
· Terminal 5 coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: terminal5insider]]]>
We've always thought that the fares from central London out to Heathrow were a bit steep, and apparently we're not alone. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair also didn't bother buying a ticket when he was heading to Heathrow to catch a flight to the US this week.
The usual fare for a first class train ticket to Heathrow is £24.50 ($49), but neither Blair nor his aide bought one before the trip. When inspectors discovered them, one of the policemen protecting Blair offered to pay for a ticket, but the inspector just told them to forget it.
So if you think the Heathrow Express prices are too high, there is a simple way to avoid them--just rule the country for a few years and nobody will make you pay. Apparently if you earn something like $4 million a year, nobody expects you have to have such a "cheap" train ticket.
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· Former PM Caught Without Ticket [AFP]
· London Heathrow Coverage [Jaunted]
· Tony Blair's Jet in Near-Accident [Jaunted]
[Photo: jaimelondonboy]]]>
They made an online game about our suffering in Heathrow's problematic Terminal 5, so it was just a matter of time before the song came out too.
This video from Roguetune whines about Terminal 5 in a way that a whole lot of travelers can understand, except for special people like Kate Moss, that is. The chorus goes on with endless variations of a line like this:
I went down to get my bags, but I'm in Greece and my bags are still in Terminal 5.
As well as funny lyrics, you'll get a nice tour the trendy new Terminal 5 building, inside and out, and an entertaining cast of extra characters. Unfortunately, although this song might make you laugh, it won't change much for those still wondering which Italian warehouse their carefully packed bags have ended up in.
Related Stories:
· Baggage Trouble: Making A Game of Your T5 Suffering [Jaunted]
· Special People Get Their T5 Baggage [Jaunted]]]>