British Airways passengers to face travel distruptions
Air passengers faced four days of travel disruption after British Airways cabin crew began another strike in a bitter dispute over jobs and cost cutting.
The airline said it would fly more than 75% of customers booked to travel during the four days of strike action which began at midnight when staff belonging to the Unite union stopped work.
The company added that it expected to handle more than 180,000 of the 240,000 people who had planned to travel from March 27-30.
BA said a further 18% were re-booked to travel on other carriers, or changed the dates of their BA flights to avoid the strike period. Meanwhile Unite claimed the dispute may be costing the airline far more than the City, its shareholders and its investors realised, warning that the financial and reputation damage to BA was far in excess of what the company has acknowledged.
The union said the seven-day dispute would cost the airline around £100 million, twice the £7 million a day that BA told the City about earlier this week. BA reiterated that it told the Stock Exchange on Monday that the “current best estimate” of the cost of the first round of strikes was £7 million a day, and that assessment of the cost of subsequent strikes would only be possible after they had taken place.
The airline said several thousand customers brought forward their departures to avoid the impact of the strike. BA said that, over the next four days, it would fly a full, normal schedule from Gatwick and London City Airports.
At Heathrow, BA said it would operate 70% of its long-haul programme (up from 60% in the first strike period from March 20-22) and 55% of its short-haul programme (up from 30%). BA chief executive Willie Walsh said: “The vast majority of BA staff, including thousands of cabin crew, are pulling together to serve our customers and keep our flag flying.
“At the same time, I feel really sorry for those customers whose plans have been ruined by the Unite union’s completely unjustified action. Despite the union’s promises, this strike has affected the Easter holiday plans of thousands of hard-working people.”
Mr Walsh stood firm on the airline’s decision to withdraw travel perks from striking cabin crew, saying that staff knew they would lose their travel concessions if they joined the three-day walkout last weekend. Unite accused BA of “unacceptable anti-union bullying” by taking away the travel perks, but Mr Walsh denied this.
The union has insisted that any peace deal must now include giving back travel concessions to cabin crew, as well as reinstating a number of staff who have been suspended as a result of the dispute. Mr Walsh rejected suggestions the withdrawal of concessions was a “punishment” or attempt to “break the union”, adding: “We told them about the consequences if they went on strike.”
Source: Press Association