British Airways resumed flights to and from Bermuda for the first time in a week last night, prompting scenes of reunion and relief at the airport.

Most travellers who touched down from London had been inconvenienced by days of cancellations due to a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.

Scott Lines, President and CEO of Lines Overseas Management (LOM), missed son Harry's first birthday on Friday because he could not get back from Geneva via London. He also had to reschedule a board meeting.

He was delighted to be reunited with Harry, wife Caroline and daughter Milla, 7, after the flight touched down on schedule around 6.30 p.m last night.

"We're going to celebrate his birthday this weekend instead," explained Mr. Lines, 48, from Pembroke.

Lawyer and politician Mark Pettingill was stuck in London when his flight back on Sunday was cancelled.

He missed a trial that was due to begin this week but was able to work out of a law chambers in London. He's been staying at a hotel with partner Erin Field and their son Holden, aged five months.

"It could have been worse. It (the disruption) could have gone on for years," he said.

"I've been watching the situation constantly on the news, we booked on the QueenMary (ship) and we booked on about six flights out of Paris. This morning we went to Heathrow (airport in London) but our flight to JFK (in New York) was cancelled. Then we got another one to Newark but then space opened up at Gatwick. It's been tedious."

Some of those waiting to leave on the return leg, which left for London slightly behind schedule at 8.34 p.m, also had tales of woe. The flight was full, but Bermudian student Wannita Benjamin was waiting on the standby list because she'd already missed an exam.

"I was supposed to fly Friday to get back to university for Monday. Then I got rebooked on Monday's flight which was cancelled," explained Miss Benjamin, 21, from Warwick, who is studying optometry at Aston University in Birmingham, England.

"I'm rebooked for Saturday but I'm trying to get on today because I've missed exams. I'm about number 20 on the standby list. This will affect my work so it's quite serious."

Another traveller keen to get back to school was teacher Eleri Jones, 30, from Carmarthen, South Wales. She's not been paid while she's been stuck in Bermuda.

"I was supposed to go back on Friday. Other teachers I work with have been stuck in Boston, Madeira and Sydney," said Miss Jones who has been visiting friends.

However, plenty of those leaving the Island were tourists happy to have been "stranded," including honeymooners Julian and Caroline Cook.

"We had five extra days, we were only supposed to be here a week," explained Mr. Cook, from near Totnes in Devon, England.

"We've been staying at Cambridge Beaches. They were very kind and our travel company paid the extra accommodation bill. We've done a bit of sailing and whale watching and walked the length of the Railway Trail."

Mrs. Cook said:<\p>"It's been very nice, it's a lovely Island. It's all been very positive, we're lucky people."

Peter and Jackie Grimwood from Bolton in Lancashire, England, were in Bermuda visiting their daughter Helen, who works as an accountant. They were supposed to return on Friday.

"We've been staying at the Southampton Princess and they gave us a very competitive room rate so the extra cost was not as high as it could have been," said Mr. Grimwood, 71.

"We were very impressed with the hotel and the staff. We had to stay an extra five days in Bermuda but it was not an imposition at all."

British Airways spokeswoman Sallie Singleton said the flight from London to Bermuda was not full, as about 70 passengers failed to turn up. She suspects that was because cancelled internal flights in Britain and Europe due to the volcano prevented them getting to Gatwick to take off.

She encouraged those who need to get back the UK urgently to turn up at the airport and try for standby seats, although there are few bookings available until the middle of next week. The airport ticket office will be open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that 21 hip replacement surgeries were postponed at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital due to the travel chaos.

A hospital spokeswoman explained: "The specialist surgeon was flying from the UK, and BA flights were disrupted by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. He is expected to be on-Island today and we are working to reschedule the surgeries while the surgeon is in Bermuda, although a small number may have to be postponed for a future visit. No other services were impacted by the flight disruption."