Is BA going to recieve compensation from BAA over this fiasco?

Paul Singh, London, UK

Never mind, I'm sure they'll get another high-paying job somewhere.

William McIlhagga, Ilkley,

I am sure he left with a big bonus!

riccardo, brussels,

It is normal when starting up a complex system to go through what is called the "commissioning phase".
Commissioning means starting gradually at a pace which allows you to spot and resolve the gremlins as you go along, until you have proven that you can operate at full speed.
The BA bull-in-a-china-shop approach of going live on all short-haul flights on day 1 was unprofessional and stupid. An appalling engineering decision by a high tech company.
The conveyor faults are the responsibilty of BAA but this company has been placed in a no-win situation by BA.
Willie Walsh should go now (without a parting package)!

Ian - BEng, CEng, MIMechE, Solihull, UK

A marvellous opportunity for BA to clean out the Augean stables. For too long a featherbedded organisation. How come Mr Walsh has now decided the two Directors roles can now be combined. What was he doing all these years?
If the British management 'gene pool' has now dried up, the time has come to look abroad for senior personnel. Why should a great British company languish in the doldrums. There's too much at stake.

Spencer..Feltham

SPENCER , Feltham, , Middlesex

Why are BA taking the rap for this? Isn't T5 owned and run by BAA?

Rik, Pinner, UK

It's nice to know that 'the buck stops....' somewhere, even if it doesn't get to the top! As I commented some time ago, just ask the staff [particularly the pilots, of which he used to be one] at AerLingus what they thought of 'Oor Willie'. Consensus, 'glad to see the back of him!

S. Barraclough, Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire

BA - No longer the national Airline but a private company which clearly is not up to the job - get rid of the incompetent management and let passengers going through T5 get their insurance back.



Mr Walsh is as arrogant as lord king and his henceman was.

Steve, London,

"Mr. Kirkwood was the most senior BA executive to be named in the price-fixing scandal that cost BA millions in fines; was one of 10 current and former BA executives who were liable for possible extradition and criminal prosecution over their alleged involvement in the scandal in which BA and Virgin Atlantic colluded over fuel surcharges on long-haul flights between August 2004 and January 2006."

Price-fixing, extradition, 'criminal' prosecution by foreign govenments....and Mr Walsh thinks this is someone to have on a corporate leadership team? Who else with these type of credentials remains in BA senior management? Shareholders need to get real!!

The real culprit here is Walsh (and complacent shareholders )who the airline depends upon - and compensates nicely, for creating marketplace confidence. A loss of confidence is a direct result of a lack of leadership.

Get rid of Walsh, now.

W.Glennon, London, UK

Mr Noyes, send your CV to Burger King at Gatwick, I believe there's a position for a night manager. They may want someone with a bit of organisational experience though.

Raymog, Crawley, West Sussex

Great. Two guys couldn't do it, so instead of hiring more, they are hiring less. Gatwick anyone?

Farrukh, Woking, UK

Good riddance to bad rubbish. Willie Walsh should go as well. Between them these clowns have made British Airways (and Britain) a laughing stock around the world.

Robin, New York, USA

I watched Walsh being interviewed, again, on TV and, once again, the man's arrogance knows no bounds...it was similar to watching Tony Blair in full flight. Yes, there are problems but wait and see the great success T5 will become, says he. I don't know if the two BA Managers were pushed or jumped, but it's about time Walsh did the honorable thing and fell on his own sword, along with more than just the two scapegoats.

Tomas, Alicante, Spain

As with most CEO's, the blame will only be Mr Walsh's ("If people want to assign blame for this it comes to me.")
until it becomes clear somebody is going to be fired for the shambles of T5. At that point it becomes somebody elses fault.

imj, Reading, UK

No great surprise really - someone had to take the bullet for Willie Walsh.

Alex, London,

They should have spent a few weeks at Hong Kong's new Chek Lap Kok International Airport where a similar fiasco occurred after it opened in July 1998. It took them six months to get everything working correctly. But the honourable thing to do is to leave or get fired when millions have been lost as a result of the sad poor operations at T5.

B J Deller, Marbella, Spain

Top managers of BA think too high of themselves. BA is overstaffed 30% and their efficiency is 50% of Lufthansa. Someone should instruct BA managers to ask Lufthansa how to organize ground operations.
Lufthansa opened new large airport at Munich or new huge terminal in Frankfurt (appx 12 years ago) and they had problems but they did not cause problems to passengers. If luggage was lost, it would arrive the following day. Nobody would think of trucking luggage to Milan - really brainless idea.

Savo, London, UK

At least one company where the buck stops somewhere, Government take note

KW, Bognor Regis , E