British Airways cancels 40 Heathrow flights ahead of bank holiday

British Airways on Friday canceled more than 40 flights on one of the busiest leisure travel days of the year as it sought to resolve a computer problem that affected some passengers’ ability to check in remotely.

The Associated Press reported that 42 flights, mostly short-haul flights to the airline’s London Heathrow hub, would not operate. The airline’s website asked passengers to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

“We are aware of a technical issue and are working hard to fix it,” the website says.

British Airways said it apologized to passengers whose flights were affected and offered them the option of rebooking with BA or another airline or requesting a refund. The airline usually operates 850 flights per day.

The airline, which is part of IAG, said it had focused its cancellations on routes with multiple daily flights to give passengers an alternative.

BA said: “While the vast majority of our flights are still operating today, we have canceled some of our short-haul flights from Heathrow due to the impact of a technical issue experienced yesterday.”