BA Back In Business

British Airways says things are getting back to normal, after cancelling some 40 flights both Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, that number was down to four. But it's the second summer in a row that Europe's second-biggest airline has suffered a public relations disaster.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at the beginning of the week, according to the London Guardian newspaper. BA blamed the problem on a shortage of ground staff at Heathrow, a shortage caused by strict security measure in place since the 9/11 attacks on America. At the same time, BA has cut 13,000 jobs and is now suffering staff shortages.

Executives at the British flagship airline hoped they had avoided the worst of their fears by avoiding a strike. Workers had planned to walk out on the brink of the busiest vacation time of the year in Europe.

At Heathrow, BA said it's about 120 workers short. Combined with what the company described as "technical problems" that forced the cancellation of flights to New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, the staff shortage led to flight cancellations system-wide.

Last year, thousands of passengers were stranded by BA at Heathrow when the ticket counter staff simply walked out in a dispute over security matters.

FMI: www.british-airways.com