 Passengers complained of chaos after 31 flights were cancelled |
A British Airways boss has apologised to customers for "a miserable time" after 31 flights were cancelled because of staff shortages at Heathrow Airport. Mike Street, director of operations, admitted BA had "let them down".
He told BBC News on Tuesday lunchtime flights were now running smoothly but admitted that was "no consolation to those we inconvenienced yesterday".
Twenty-five flights were cancelled on Monday because of technical problems and check-in staff shortages.
Mr Street added: "It was a miserable time for them, we let them down and once again on behalf of BA we're all extremely sorry."
Customers reported chaotic scenes and some slept at the airport overnight.
Fifteen domestic and European return flights - 30 in total - plus an extra flight were cancelled on Tuesday.
 | HAVE YOUR SAY  The real cause of frustration among passengers was the lack of information  Charles Marshall, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK |
Andrew Williams, who stayed in overnight accommodation after his flight was cancelled on Monday, described the scene at Heathrow as "shambolic chaos".
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "Some people were shunted off to try and book extra tickets to find the ticket office all shut up with no luggage and nowhere to go.
"They've been asked to phone a ticket hotline and that doesn't open until 6am."
The customer service desk was "six or seven deep" and police had to be called because some passengers were "losing their cool", he added.
'No information'
BBC News Online's Laura Smith-Spark at Heathrow Airport said the scenes became less hectic throughout the morning.
Club promoter Daniel Blewitt, 30, had to wait 17 hours before he boarded a flight to Stockholm.
He had been due to fly at 1530 BST on Monday and slept overnight at the airport with hundreds of others.
He told BBC News Online: "You can't describe how frustrating it was. It was the complete lack of information that was the hardest part to deal with."
A BA spokesman said he estimated 3,500 passengers would be affected by Tuesday's cancellations.
Staff shortages had been caused by an unexpectedly high staff turnover in the lead-up to the busy summer holiday season, he said.
There was currently a shortage across all Heathrow terminals of about 150 of the usual 2,000 check-in and ticketing staff.
Strike averted
Simon Calder, travel editor of the Independent newspaper, earlier said that BA's troubles came at a time when the company should be "making a mint".
Instead, it was paying out to put people up in hotels and was losing customers, he added.
The three trans-Atlantic flights cancelled on Monday were to Chicago, New York and Philadelphia.
Passengers flying into the airport on Monday night also had long waits on the tarmac, before being allowed to disembark.
At the weekend, the airline struck a pay deal with the union representing check-in staff and baggage handlers, narrowly averting an August Bank Holiday strike.
The airline agreed an 8.5% pay increase over three years as well as �1,000 in three payments to September 2006.
Leaders of the Transport and General Workers Union and the GMB will now back the deal in fresh ballots of the thousands of BA workers affected.
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