Events | 2010.03.23
BA flights disrupted despite end of three-day strike
Around 40 departing flights and 100 inbound services halted as British Airways blames \'knock-on effect\'
Scores of British Airways flights were cancelled today following a strike by cabin crew which finished at midnight.
As BA and the Unite union argued over the impact of the walkout, around 40 departing flights were cancelled from the airline\'s Heathrow base, according to a BA web information page for passengers.
Inbound services were worst hit, with more than 100 cancelled. The airline operates around 540 flights in total at the airport each day.
While flights to and from Gatwick and London City airports were almost unaffected, there was further disruption at Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Just under 20% of all scheduled services had been called off, the BBC estimated.
BA warned of a smaller number of cancellation in the next few days as operations returned to normal. "It\'s a knock-on effect. A lot of it comes from simply having planes in the wrong place," a BA spokeswoman said.
The airline now faces the prospect of another three-day stoppage over opposition to staffing cuts, beginning on Saturday unless a breakthrough can be reached with the union.
No new talks are believed to be scheduled, although the leader of Unite, Tony Woodley, told the Guardian he expected the TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, to resume mediation attempts today.
Asked if the new strike would take place, Woodley said: "That is as it looks at the moment. I don\'t think there is any doubt it will go ahead because I don\'t see a willingness on the part of the company to get a settlement."
BA says it operated almost 80% of long-haul flights during the first two days of the stoppage, and half its short-haul flights. The airline estimates the cost of the initial walkout at £21m, a bill Unite claims is likely to be significantly higher.
The airline said the plan to run services during the strike had been "very successful".
It said in a statement: "We are sorry for any cancellations, as we get our aircraft, pilots and cabin crew back into the correct positions around the world. We are contacting customers and offering them a full refund, a re-book or a re-route so that they can get to their destinations."
According to Unite, one knock-on effect of the strike will be reduced catering services for passengers for the rest of the month. Union officials said passengers on long-haul flights would be served only cold salads and sandwiches.
The BA spokeswoman said this affected a small number of long-haul services, where hot food would not be available. Passengers would experience "a high-quality salad-type scenario" instead, she added.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/23/ba-flights-cancelled-strike
