From embarrassment to pride

Stretched Terminal

It’s beautiful and big. Too big.

Test piloting Heathrow’s Terminal Five was daunting. Like the new airport at Madrid it’s vast. The journey from the BA lounge to Gate 39 was about a mile and a half. Mercifully part of the journey between the two buildings was by train.

It’s the biggest freestanding building in the UK and its five floors are the area of five football pitches. Terminal Five is a stretched version of the other terminals. Even the walk from the gate check-in to the plane is at least four times as long as any I have previously endured – at least 150 yards. Be prepared.

The problem we dreaded of missing luggage did not happen. The staff are exceptionally courteous. The services of restaurants and toilets are thoroughly exceptional. The lounges are vast, calm and airy. This is the best.

From Britain’s embarrassment, Terminal Five will mature into Britain’s pride.

Creeping Judas or St Frank?

An angry MP at this week's meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) harshly called Frank Field the ‘Creeping Judas’.

He deserves credit for leading the revolt that changed the Government’s mind. Such was the welling-up of anger from dozens of MPs, it would have happened anyway but Frank gave the revolt authority and shape. It’s fascinating to hear stories that he was twice offered a place in Government in the past few weeks. Presumably on the understanding hat he dropped his campaign.

There was anger at Frank’s exceptionally penetrating attack on Gordon Brown being unhappy in his skin. He had the grace to apologise before the full Chamber for that. Words do sometimes run away with all of us. It was a relaxed interview for the World Service. It’s easy to forget that the conversation in not just with the pleasant journalist.  Frank's words were wounding even to a shell backed old warrior like Gordon Brown.

Yesterday’s apology has fully rehabilitated Blessed Frank and he is the hero of the PLP

Elderly bumped
There is a nasty unintended consequence of getting boarding passes on line. It’s very convenient and avoids one tedious chore at airports.

But it’s queue jumping for those who are not on-line. These are mainly the elderly. If a plane is overbooked, the ones who are not on line are bumped off the flight.

This is an increasingly frequent occurrence. Why BA cannot control the number of bookings they take is beyond me.  Nine people had no seats on one recent flight and were forced to wait six hours for the next one. The compensation paid by BA is £200 per person.

This does not sound like good business. £400 in compensation for two tickets that cost a total of £177. Even that does not appear to deter them from selling seats they do not have. Now they have got the baggage right, it’s time to get over-booking sorted.

Westminster wild
Two arresting images influenced by the British Parliament.

The Hungarian Parliament is mock Gothic and imitates ours. The interior ceiling is very similar to that in the Commons crypt. The building was not finished until 1902. Extravagantly they built three before deciding which one to house their politicians. two other grand buildings in Budapest are devoted to other elevated institutions.

The atrium in Portcullis House displays this surreal Palace of Westminster.

Comments

[WBI]

I will be back and reviewing the blogs from Monday! Hope you will be keeping up the blogging and let me know if there are any blogs that need adding to the blog reviews!

WBI

[Tony]

Why should anyone be a 'creeping judas' when all he's done is point out the obvious problem and the effect it is having on people - this is either shooting the messenger or arrogance as being challenged - neither very helpful
And what we have here is 2.7 billion added to the PSBR which is estimated to hit 50+ billion at a time when we need the tax flexibility to drive the economy - no wonder Mervyn King is saying we have no elbow room ...