Handling of T5 fiasco ‘a success'

PR chiefs insist their handling of the Terminal 5 fiasco at Heathrow Airport was a success despite the negative media coverage.

Cancelled flights and the breakdown of a baggage collection system marred the opening of the £4.3 billion terminal in March.

But BA had the right people in place to respond and they knew the answers to the crisis instinctively, according to press officer Anthony Cane.

He added that BA was working on a marketing and PR campaign to win back customers' trust.

BAA deputy group communications director Malcolm Robertson also praised his press team's reaction to the incident.

Robertson also stood by his decision to pull BAA general manager Mark Bullock from the BBC evening news, a move that was widely criticised by the media.

He said it was a decision that was not taken lightly, and that as events were unfolding quickly they were walking a fine line.

During the opening of the new terminal, Robertson and PR representatives from other BAA airports worked alongside Heathrow's press office and BA's communications team, with strategic support from BAA's retained agency, Finsbury.