Heathrow passengers 'still in limbo'

Thousands of holidaymakers were still in limbo tonight as Heathrow struggled to recover from a catering row that has crippled the airport.

British Airways said the huge backlog of frustrated passengers could take days to clear, despite over 80% of its 500 scheduled flights running as normal today.

Airport staff are working to reunite would-be travellers with 10,000 pieces of luggage that have become “stuck in the system” during the disruption.

However, those who have been stranded at the airport and suffered long delays are not being given priority tickets over people who are due to fly now, according to the company.

Instead they are being rebooked where seats are available, offered the chance to travel on another airline, or given a refund.

Marketing Director Martin George said: “The individuals who are (at Heathrow) today who are not flying on a service that is operating today are being dealt with on an individual basis.

“We’re working very hard on an individual basis to rebook them at a later time or on another airline, or offer them a refund,” he told Sky News.

The airline was tonight still drawing up plans to continue the catch-up operation tomorrow but were unable to say how many of their scheduled flights will take off.

Up to 100,000 passengers have had their trips disrupted since BA staff walked out in sympathy on Wednesday with hundreds of catering workers sacked by in-flight meal supplier company Gate Gourmet.

BA said it was impossible to give exact figures for the number of passengers who were still waiting for flights because many had made alternative arrangements, but it is thought to be several thousand.

Services began operating again at about 8.30pm yesterday after the BA employees agreed to return to their posts.

Meanwhile, talks between Gate Gourmet and the T&G, overseen by conciliation body Acas, were continuing at a hotel near the airport tonight.

Analysts said the disruption – at the height of the holiday season – was set to lose BA up to £40 million because of the refunds, loss of flight revenues and the cost of putting passengers up in hotels.

A senior Labour MP condemned the Transport and General Workers’ Union for being “spineless” in failing to confront militants who cause regular summer travel misery at Heathrow.

Barry Sheerman, chairman of the Commons Education Select Committee, said a “malign influence” was at work in the airport, which has been hit by disruption three years in a row.

It is “no accident” the rows flare up in August as “they are pre-planned and plotted”, according to the Huddersfield MP.

“There is some malign influence at Heathrow that is putting these things on in August,” Mr Sheerman said.

“There is no doubt about it, we have a leadership out of control at Heathrow, the T&G particularly has no backbone. It is spineless union leadership.”

Would-be travellers at Heathrow were making the best of their difficult situation today.

A huge marquee has been erected in order to accommodate people who turned up despite being urged to stay away from the airport, with free food and drink on offer.

Canadian teacher Sandra Park, 28, stuck in London since being forced off her plane to Toronto on Thursday, said: “I’ve met two German guys who have made me laugh throughout. We’ve toured London instead of moping here.”

Two families from Plymouth, Devon, were camped out in the Terminal 4 marquee today after arriving at Heathrow at 6am to be told their flight to Abu Dhabi had been cancelled.

Father-of-two Chris Booth, 38, said: “We phoned last night and were told it was all on, so when we turned up here they said it was all off.

“If we had known beforehand I could have left my wife and children at the hotel but the BA helpline is not manned between midnight and 9am and our flight was meant to be at 9.30am.”

Sitting with the couple’s sons, Jacob, 12, and 11-year-old Joseph, Mr Booth’s wife Janet, 39, said: “It’s been a bit of a laugh so far.

“We have not had a sense of humour failure yet.”

Father-of-two Bob Evans, 50, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, arrived at Heathrow on Friday morning to catch a flight to Saudi Arabia where he works as a weapons technician for British Aerospace Systems.

Today he was still waiting for a flight to Jordan, where he is to pick up his car.

“I’m concerned that I’ll be told off by my work,” he said.

“I’ll probably be forced to take two days’ holiday to cover my time spent waiting at the airport wasting my time.”

Only BA passengers with confirmed reservations for flights are being asked to travel to Heathrow, and they should check with the company before leaving.

The revised schedule and expected departure times are available on the website, ba.com.