Hong Kong  - Striking baggage handlers at Hong Kong International Airport were preparing for fresh negotiations Sunday after agreeing to take no further action during the holiday season.

Thousands of passengers were delayed or left the airport without their luggage after 1,000 ground workers staged a three-hour strike Saturday over bonus cuts.

The strike on one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year was staged by members of a union after their traditional end of year bonus was halved because of the global economic crisis.

The Saturday afternoon strike caused chaos at the airport, affecting 83 flights - including a Cathay Pacific flight from Malaysia reportedly carrying the airport authority's chief executive Stanley Hui.

In talks Saturday night with Hong Kong Airport Services, the company that employs 3,000 ground staff, baggage handlers agreed not to take further action over the holidays.

Talks will resume on January 5. Union sources warned of further action if the management does not agree to fully reinstate bonuses for ground workers.

Ground workers in Hong Kong earn an average of about 900 US dollars a month and were not consulted before the halving of their bonuses was announced, according to union representatives.

Hong Kong International Airport is the fifth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger numbers. In 2007, it handled 47.8 million passengers and 3.74 million tons of cargo. (dpa)