The airline was hit by a worldwide computer system power failure on Saturday, causing cancellations and delays for thousands of passengers.  All long-haul services left from Heathrow, but with delays, BA said.

The airline has urged people to check the status of flights before travelling to the airport. The airline apologised to customers for the issue, which is thought to have been caused by a problem with the IT system’s power supply.

In a statement released on Sunday, chief executive Alex Cruz said: “I know this has been a horrible time for customers. We’re not there yet, but we are doing our very best to sort things out for you.”

The BBC’s Phillip Norton, who has been stranded at Rome airport since Saturday, has been told he won’t be able to fly back to London until Tuesday.

The airline is liable to reimburse thousands of passengers for refreshments and hotel costs.  Customers displaced by flight cancellations can claim up to £200 a day for a room (based on two people sharing), £50 for transport between the hotel and airport, and £25 a day per adult for meals and refreshments.

One traveller from Seattle said she had spent the evening sleeping on the floor of a hotel conference room.

Ashley Tracey, who was trying to get to Mumbai for her friend’s wedding, said she had been queuing to rebook her flight for six hours.

She said: “There’s no information I can’t seem to get through online, I don’t live here so I don’t have a phone that works here.”

Wedding postponed after guests stuck at Heathrow

A Surrey couple have postponed their Greek island wedding after guests were stranded at Heathrow Airport amid the British Airways IT crash.

Laura Thomson and Sam Sciortino, from Woking, planned a Sunday ceremony in Santorini but will now marry on Monday.

The bride-to-be’s brother and family – including three bridesmaids – waited at Heathrow for 13 hours on Saturday before leaving without their luggage.

They have now booked flights with a different airline.

‘So let down’

Ms Thomson said: “We have had to contact suppliers, and change all the arrangements we had planned.”

“We’ve been planning our big day for two years only to be forced to rush around and change everything to take place a day later.”

The couple flew to Santorini earlier in the week, ahead of their guests. They said an aunt and uncle were also caught up in the BA disruption.

Ms Thomson said: “My brother is one of the groomsmen, and my nieces and sister-in-law are my bridesmaids, so naturally I wanted them to share the day with us.

“They booked with British Airways because they thought it was a reliable company.

“We feel so let down.”

Culled: bbc.com