Britain was embroiled in debate Tuesday over whether to screen groups of young Muslims rather than imposing blanket security curbs that have disrupted flights since an alleged terror plot was exposed last week.
Passengers faced a sixth day of cancelled flights and delays at London's main airports as officials debated security measures, including a proposal for "passenger profiling" which risks upsetting Britain's 1.5-million-strong Muslim population.
Disruptions have eased since the alleged plot to blow up US-bound airliners was exposed last Thursday, but passengers here have had to endure Tuesday the cancellation of at least 64 more flights, airport operator BAA said.
Airlines are angry at the British Airports Authority (BAA) for delays in easing security curbs at London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, despite a lowering of Britain's terror alert Monday.
BAA had phased in all the government's new guidelines -- including allowing passengers to take aboard one laptop-sized case or bag -- by dawn Tuesday after it passing the word to 6,000 security staff, BAA representatives said.
British Airways was "seriously considering" seeking compensation from BAA for lost earnings, a spokeswoman said.
Collins Stewart, a financial markets broker, estimated the cost to BA of the disruptions has amounted to 50 million pounds (94.4 million dollars, 74.2 million euros) so far, and was rising by five million pounds a day, The Financial Times reported.
Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair blamed Tuesday's problems on "BAA's chronic inability to staff their (London) Stansted (airport) security facilities, combined with nonsensical hand baggage restrictions."
Meanwhile, the FT reported that the new security guidelines - though less stringent than those since Thursday - are set to become permanent.
Ministers have told BAA they do not foresee "fundamental" changes to new security measures that will limit passengers to taking aboard one small cabin bag, about the size of a standard laptop, the business daily said.
But The Times reported that officials at the Department for Transport are considering a system of passenger-profiling that would select people behaving suspiciously, who have an unusual travel pattern or have a certain ethnic or religious background.
It comes after Lord John Stevens, the former chief of London's Metropolitan Police, told The News of The World mass-circulation newspaper on Sunday that airport chaos could be reduced by targeting passengers for more rigorous checks, with "young Muslim men" a focus.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei, one of Britain's most senior Muslim police officers, told BBC television late Monday that he feared such profiling could lead to a new offense called "traveling whilst Asian."
Intelligence could be used to examine travel history, how a ticket is bought and the persistency to travel, but Dizaei added: "It becomes hugely problematic when it's based on ethnicity, religion and country of origin.
"I don't think there's a stereotypical image of a terrorist."
The debate comes as politicians try to heal rifts with British Muslims, some of whom have felt victimized since four presumed Islamist suicide bombers attacked London transport on July 7, 2005, killing 52 commuters and themselves.
Muslims are also angry at British policy in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will later Tuesday meet Muslim members of parliament and community leaders, where anti-terror raids have taken place, as part of broader efforts to improve ties.
It will be the first time Prescott, standing in for Prime Minister Tony Blair who is vacationing in the Caribbean, has held face-to-face talks with MPs since police arrested 24 people in connection with last week's alleged plot.
But a spokesman for Prescott insisted the meeting was not as a result of last week's raids and was part of his "long-term engagement" with the Muslim community.
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