Report faults BA for lost bags, lateness

LONDON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- A confidential report says British Airways has the worst record in Europe for lost luggage and on-time performance, The Times of London reported.

The survey was done by the Association of European Airlines, the Times said. The report said on a typical BA jumbo jet nine passengers are separated from their bags.

The airline suffered a public relations disaster in March when it opened Terminal 5 at Heathrow, London's major airport. During the first few days, the automated baggage system broke down and hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled.

The AEA survey found passengers on BA were 80 percent more likely to lose their bags than the European average in the first six months of the year. Roughly one-third of all its arrivals and departures had delays of at least 15 minutes.

In June, BA still ranked near the bottom among European carriers in both lost luggage and on-time performance.

"All we can do is express disappointment that Terminal 5 has not been the answer to all of BA's prayers," said Simon Evans of the Air Transport Users' Council. "We are seeing some improvements but not that significant in terms of where BA is featuring in European airline league tables."