More than 80% of British Airways flights were expected to operate from Heathrow today as talks continued to resolve the catering row which has crippled the airport.
BA said they were now optimistic that 85% of short haul flights and 80% of long haul flights would be running as normal, but it is expected to take several days for the backlog of passengers and luggage to be cleared
Almost all stranded passengers are thought to have been found hotel accommodation last night, and those at the airport today were being made "as comfortable as possible", according to a spokeswoman.
Up to 70,000 BA passengers were left stranded yesterday as a result of cancelled flights.
The row erupted on Wednesday when BA staff went on wildcat strike after workers from the catering company Gate Gourmet were sacked in a row over working practices.
The talks between the Transport and General Workers Union and Gate Gourmet, who is also embroiled in a dispute with US unions over workers' pay and conditions, were adjourned last night after the two sides agreed to meet to try to resolve the sackings row.
Representatives of both parties met at a hotel near Heathrow under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas.
Only BA passengers with confirmed reservations for flights today are being asked to travel to Heathrow, and they should check with the company before leaving.
The revised schedule and expected departure times are available on their website.
BA said some people who had been delayed over the past few days would also be allowed to use services provided by other carriers.
A BA spokeswoman said: "Flights will continue to have limited catering provisions on board as our catering supplier, Gate Gourmet, is unable to offer the airline a full catering service."
Local Labour MP Alan Keen blamed the "cowboy management" of Gate Gourmet for the action.
"Wildcat strike sounds really bad. The reason for it, without doubt, is that it is the same community," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"It is very similar to, probably the only community left in the country now, that is parallel to the mining villages where everyone did the same job, worked at the same pit, worked with British Airways or BAA or the other airlines or the freight companies involved at Heathrow.
"They care deeply about Heathrow airport and its operation. They don't want to damage British Airways but they are from the same families."
Meanwhile, a senior Labour MP attacked Mr Keen's comments saying it was "offensive" to compare the wildcat strikers with the miners.
Mr Sheerman, chairman of the Commons education select committee, said that families who worked hard and save all year to take their families away were the victims of the action.
"I represent a Yorkshire constituency and the miners I knew and know would never have picked on innocent families and children and ruined their holidays consistently," the Huddersfield MP said.
He said that union leaders had been "spineless" in failing to confront militants who cause regular summer travel misery at Heathrow.
"There is some malign influence at Heathrow that is putting these things on in August," Mr Sheerman said.
"There is no doubt about it, we have a leadership out of control at Heathrow, the T&G particularly has no backbone. It is spineless union leadership.
"If reports are correct and they delayed responding to the call from BA it is a disgrace.
"Everyone knows there is something wrong at Heathrow but no one wants to talk about it. It is so damaging to the trade union movement."
A Heathrow spokeswoman said there were still "several thousand" passengers who had not yet been allocated tickets for a flight that would be operating, but it was impossible to give exact figures for how many people were waiting.
"It's not clear the extent to which some passengers might have made alternative arrangements," she said.
There are also about 30,000 bags that have become stuck in the system due to the disruption, according to the spokeswoman.
"They are not with the people they should be with. We are working to return them."
But she added that the situation was improving quickly: "The atmosphere here is considerably calmer and less frantic. The situation is improving by the hour."
Analysts said the disruption - at the height of the holiday season - was set to lose BA up to £40 million because of the refunds, loss of flight revenues and the cost of putting passengers up in hotels.
