Travellers' survey brings welcome news for BA

British Airways, under fire for the disastrous Heathrow Terminal 5 opening, received some welcome news from a survey of travellers worldwide.

Despite the cancelled flights and lost bags at T5, 53% of those surveyed by travel website company TripAdvisor said the terminal’s problems had not affected their perception of BA.

In addition, 28% said that while their view of BA was tarnished they would still fly with the airline.

Also, only 13% of the 1,220 travellers questioned blamed BA for the debacle, with 38% pointing the finger at Heathrow operator BAA and 19% blaming T5’s designers.

A further 52% said the problems would have no impact on whether or not they used Heathrow or T5 in the future, with 20% saying they were less likely to use the airport and 14% saying they would still use Heathrow but avoid T5.

The survey showed that 30% thought the T5 disaster was caused by teething troubles and that the airport would soon be operating normally, while 18% said it was another Heathrow horror and 15% suggested T5 was a national disgrace.

In addition, 51% reckoned that T5 problems had no impact on their opinion about the airport while 23% said it confirmed their view that Heathrow was one of the worst airports and 26% thought their opinion of Heathrow had worsened.

As many as 75% said the T5 problems would have no impact on their thoughts about visiting the UK. Only 4% thought there was any long lasting damage to the UK’s reputation and 45% said: “No, it’s only an airport terminal.”

TripAdvisor European communications manager Ian Rumgay said: “This survey shows that the world’s travellers are a hardy and forgiving lot. This is not the first time that there have been problems with a new airport facility and it’s unlikely to be the last.

“While those responsible have been pilloried at home, not least for failing to deliver on their promises, there is still a lot of credit in the bank for Britain, BA and even some for Heathrow.”