Airlines operating from London Heathrow and Gatwick airports faced fewer cancellations and improved punctuality Tuesday after BAA relaxed hand luggage restrictions one day later than at most other UK airports, but carriers still complained about delays and long security lines and faulted the airport operator's response to the crisis.British Airways said it canceled a further 35 flights at LHR yesterday, raising its six-day total at its main base to around 700, while systemwide cancellations numbered around 1,100. It expects to operate "90% of its schedule" today,with plans to cancel three long-haul and 32 European and domestic departures from Heathrow and 11 domestic returns from Gatwick.

CEO Willie Walsh said BA may seek compensation from BAA. "Since 9/11, everyone in the industry has known there might be times when extra security measures needed to be put in place. Yet when the moment struck, BAA had no plan ready to keep Heathrow functioning properly. The queues for security have wound all round the terminals like a bad dream at Disneyland," he told the Daily Mirror.

Analysts estimate that the disruptions could cost BA, which is suffering through an operational meltdown at LHR for a fourth consecutive summer, more than 40 million pounds ($75.6 million). Reportedly, some 10,000 bags have gone missing and another 5,000 still need to be returned. It is using trucks to transport baggage left at LHR to destinations such as Manchester, Edinburgh and Frankfurt. In a statement to BBC, BA "fully apologize[d]" for the baggage problems, which it attributed "to a combination of issues with the BAA's baggage systems."

Bmi, Heathrow's second-largest operator, said it also might take action against BAA, while Ryanair continued to press for "commonsense security measures and government support through army and police personnel when it is clear that the BAA front-line staff cannot cope." The LCC said it was forced to cancel eight flights at Stansted yesterday morning, while easyJet said it had returned to "normal operations" and did not plan any cancellations today.

Not all parties have suffered from the London airport chaos. High-speed train operator Eurostar has seen a 27% increase in passengers since the introduction of tougher security measures across Europe, carrying an extra 28,000 travelers over the past four days. Central Europe's Wizz Air said it experienced "no flight cancellations" during the peak of the crisis Aug. 10-14, operating 130 flights to and from the UK and carrying more than 22,000 passengers, including a significant number rebooked from other airlines' cancelled flights.