Sign InRegister

BA: Flights returning to normal

Gallery: Stranded at Heathrow

• BA's strife-hit summers

• High ideals, basic problems

• BA Web site

• Gate Gourmet

• T&G Union

QUICKVOTE

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Airways says it is close to resuming a normal timetable, three days after the end of a crippling ground-crew walkout that had stranded more than 100,000 passengers during the peak of the summer travel season.

A spokesman for BA said that all short haul flights and 95 percent of long haul flights were back to normal Monday.

Flights would be completely back to normal "in a few days," a spokeswoman told CNN.

Airline sources said that 100 percent of long haul flights had operated as normal Sunday but some planes were still out of position Monday.

There was still "minimal" catering on board BA flights, said the spokeswoman. Passengers were being provided with some refreshment at stations in the terminals and vouchers were being offered.

The return to normal for UK and European flights Monday is a day earlier than originally envisaged.

The BA ground-crew strike, which ended Friday, was triggered by a dispute between catering staff and the U.S.-owned firm Gate Gourmet, which provides onboard meals for British Airways flights.

BA services into and out of London Heathrow were badly disrupted after unofficial industrial action taken by some of the airline's staff over dismissals at Gate Gourmet

Said British Airways on its Web site: "We apologise unreservedly to our customers. This is an unprecedented situation. We are doing everything we can to help our customers and have drafted in additional staff from around the airline to assist."

Flights operating out of Gatwick and UK regions were operating as normal.

While the 1,000 BA ground-crew staff returned to work Friday, the catering workers were still striking and talks were expected to resume Monday to resolve the dispute. Gate Gourmet, which is undertaking restructuring amid financial losses, is owned by U.S. company Texas Pacific Group.

This is the third consecutive year that BA has suffered a disruption at the height of the summer holiday season. Analysts warned the airline faced losses of up to £40 million ($73 million).

BA passengers were being told if they had been due to fly on Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday (August 11, 12, 13 or 14), did not have a confirmed booking and still wished to travel on British Airways, to call British Airways in the UK on 0800 727 800.

Those with a a confirmed booking to travel on Monday (August 15) were being told to check the BA Web site Arrivals and Departures for the latest flight information and flight status.

On criticism that passengers were not being upgraded when business and first class seats were empty, the BA spokeswoman said: "We will upgrade people where it is possible."