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Heathrow hassle continues for third day

  • Story Highlights
  • British Airways, the sole occupant of "T5," says 67 flights canceled Saturday
  • Number of cancellations, all short-haul, is only five fewer than Friday
  • Showpiece $8.6 billion new Terminal 5 opened to public on Thursday
  • Delays over luggage delivery, protests overshadow the terminal's opening
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Travelers are enduring a third day of problems at Heathrow Airport's new Terminal Five, with British Airways again reporting flight cancellations -- just days after the state-of-the-art building opened for business.

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The new Terminal 5 cost $8.6 billion and was two decades in the planning.

British Airways, the sole occupant of "T5," said 67 flights were canceled Saturday, including 33 arrivals and 34 departures.

All the canceled flights were short-haul, a BA spokeswoman said.

The airline said passengers are allowed to check in luggage and take carry-on bags aboard their flights.

The number of cancelations Saturday was only five fewer than the day before, when BA canceled 72 flights, and Chief Executive Willie Walsh apologized for two days of travel chaos.

The $8.6 billion terminal opened with fanfare Thursday, but was quickly overwhelmed by problems that included flight cancellations, long lines at check-in, delays in staff security screening, malfunctioning escalators and elevators, and major delays at baggage claim.

They were the kinds of problems that have long plagued Heathrow's four older terminals, earning the airport the nickname "Hassle Heathrow," and the kinds of problems the modern T5 was designed to fix.

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British Airways had promised that the new terminal could handle dozens of planes at the same time, process 12,000 bags an hour, and accommodate the 30 million passengers expected to pass through the terminal each year.

BA blamed Thursday's fiasco on "teething problems," and Walsh said the situation would gradually improve as the airline clears the runway. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

All About London Heathrow Airport

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