Tech Woes Cause BA To Cancel Flights

Business travelers heading through British Airways' new Terminal 5 building at London's Heathrow airport could be in for another long day -- with technology to blame.One of the main problems involves a computerized baggage-handling system that relies on wireless infrastructure from Aruba Networks and powered, in part, by IBM logistics software. Baggage handlers were unable to log into the system, which meant some flights took off without baggage, while incoming passengers were stuck waiting as long as five hours to retrieve their belongings. More than 11,000 passengers have been affected.

In addition, a biometric fingerprinting system that was supposed to be in place never got off the ground due to privacy concerns.

British Airways -- sole occupant of the $8.5 billion terminal, which first opened yesterday -- wound up canceling numerous flights on Thursday, more today and expects more through the weekend. " I think it will get better every day as we become accustomed to the building and the quirks of the systems," BA CEO Willie Walsh said in a statement.The Economic Times, InformationWeek