British Airways staff are to get free air tickets for enduring the stress of this month's travel chaos - but thousands of passengers must fight for compensation.

The company has offered almost all its 17,500 operational workers two complimentary flights each in recognition of the "additional pressure" they were under.

Thousands of passengers faced travel misery at Heathrow last week when BA cancelled more than 100 flights because of staff shortages and technical difficulties.

Travellers applying for compensation from the airline will be dealt with on a "case-by-case basis", a spokeswoman said.

Staff can have two free economy return tickets on any BA flight between October and February 2006 because of the stress they faced.

The offer applies to check-in staff, baggage handlers, engineers and call-centre workers and will reportedly cost the airline £4 million.

But a spokesman for the Transport and General Workers Union said: "Most staff would welcome the gesture but everyone would agree BA's problems are deep-seated and need continuing effort to address them."

Chief executive Rod Eddington has pledged to investigate the staff shortages which sparked the chaos at Heathrow and left thousands stranded.

Up to 5,000 passengers are thought to have been affected. Some were accommodated on later flights, some were provided with overnight hotel rooms and seats on flights while others simply had to rebook.

BA scrapped 51 flights last Monday, 31 the following day and the number of cancellations had passed the three-figure mark by the holiday weekend.

Tuesday August 31, 2004