Naomi Campbell Lets Us Know What's Wrong With Heathrow
by Zoe Strimpel
Fri, 4 Apr 2008
Terminal 5 at Heathrow has not, to put it lightly, been a success. The royal mess it has been instead has commanded swathes of column inches, TV coverage, debate, and the rest since its catastrophic opening last week. Nothing works. Nobody knows what they're doing. It's the ultimate image of dysfunctionality at one of the world's busiest — and oh so British — airports. Since its opening, 28,000 bags have not landed with their owners.
So it stands to reason that the London-born supermodel Naomi Campbell, famously prone to violence and frustration, should never have been booked to land there. Too late for that now — and no doubt some assistant somewhere has lost their job.
Campbell threw a fit last night over a missing bag. It was so violent that she was handcuffed and led out, kicking and screaming, from the British Airways first-class cabin, after allegedly spitting on and punching a police officer.
She was released after seven hours in custody, but could have to go to jail if convicted of assault.
Ms. Campbell is hardly a shining example of manners or self-control, but her tantrum is a fitting representation of just how infuriating the situation at Terminal 5 is. A friend who flew in from Los Angeles on British Airways last weekend noted with fury and dismay that there were countless staff standing around in bright tops with "I" for Information written on the chest. "Stop standing around offering information," she stormed, "and start bloody learning how to work the machines!" Hear, hear.
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