Audio: Day 1 at Heathrow

Heathrow Terminal 5’s first day open for business has descended into chaos with all luggage check-ins suspended for the rest of the day amid huge baggage-collection delays (writes Lucy Bannerman at Heathrow, and David Byers).

Passengers arriving at the £4.3 billion terminal faced hours of waiting as they tried to collect their luggage, after a sophisticated new baggage handling system broke down.

Baggage handlers were unable to log on to the system, which had been hailed as being capable of handling 12,000 bags per hour, after computers failed to recognise staff identities. Some passengers reported having to wait for up to two and a half hours for their luggage.

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As the backlog built up, flights to Munich, Frankfurt, Paris and Brussels as well as flights to Glasgow and Aberdeen were among 35 cancelled. A total of 28 incoming flights had also been sacrificed.

Eventually, BA announced that the entire terminal's luggage check-ins had been closed to all customers trying to check in baggage - leaving most passengers unable to travel.

In a statement issued tonight, BAA apologised and said that all passengers could get a refund, or board their flights without any luggage.

"British Airways flights from Terminal 5 will depart with hand baggage only with immediate effect due to problems associated with processing customers' baggage," a spokeswoman said.

"BAA and British Airways are advising customers to check in at T5 with hand baggage only if they wish to travel tonight, or to telephone the airline for a refund or rebook.

The new terminal had officially opened at 3am. British Airways' first woman pilot, Captain Lynn Barton, 51, was at the controls of first flight in — a service from Hong Kong that touched down eight minutes early at 4.42am.

The first flight away from the terminal was a BA flight to Paris, which left on time at 6.20am.

As the day wore on travellers waiting for luggage complained of having been given no information other than being told that there were technical difficulties.

Jenny Uhl, 22, travelling with her friend, Verena Keller, said she had waited for two hours after her flight landed from Germany. "The terminal looks nice, but the bag situation is not good. We are very tired," she said.

On the same flight was Klaus Hausler, who said: "I waited an hour and a half for my bags but could get no information from anyone. It was not good." Another German woman, who did not wish to be named, also had a two-hour wait for bags. Asked what she thought of the terminal, she replied: "Awful."

The bag crisis was part of an eventful first day of operations for Terminal 5, which also saw a failure of the staff security system and a "flashmob" of eco-protesters descending on the airport to highlight environmental damage being caused by air travel. As the clock struck 11, about 300 of them pulled off their jumpers and unzipped jackets to reveal bright red T-shirts bearing the slogan: "Stop Airport Expansion".

The crowd of environmental activists and local residents — watched by armed police who had been notified in advance — was banned from protesting formally inside the terminal so could not chant slogans and instead stood in the departures area and chatted to passers by.

Andrea Needham, from Hastings, East Sussex, who was accompanied by her three-year-old daughter, Esme, said: "We are here to show our opposition to general airport expansion."

BA said any customers still unsure of the situation to telephone the company's helpline, on 0800 727 800, or check for information on its website, www.ba.com

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