Paphos People

More than a million British Airways passengers have had their Christmas holiday travel plans thrown into chaos after the airline's cabin crew voted to strike.

Cabin crew will walk out on Tuesday, December 22 for 12 days, unless agreement can be reached between the airline and union negotiators.

Industrial action was confirmed by the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (Bassa) ahead of the formal announcement of the ballot, by the cabin crew union, Unite.

"We are deeply saddened to have reached the point where we must take industrial action to get our voices heard, but feel that we have been left with no other choice," Bassa said.

The industrial action by around 13,500 cabin crew will also heap misery on passengers, at one of the busiest times of the year.

At best they face days of uncertainty while the union maps out its strategy. At worst they will find themselves scrambling for seats at a time when they will be in short supply.

It will also be a disaster for the struggling airline, which is facing losses of £800 million this year.

The timing of the dispute is far more damaging than the one which took place in February 2007 when a walkout was only averted by a last minute deal.

It is taking place when BA would have hoped to cash in on the Christmas rush. Instead it find itself having to placate angry passengers.

BA managers have made little secret of the fact that they regard the strike threat as suicidal, fearing that passengers who are lost to other carriers may not return.

It says drastic economies are needed to help the airline cope with aviation's biggest crisis since the September 11 terrorist outrage.

Airlines across the world are on course for losses of £6.8 billion. According to Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive, the airline is facing a "fight for survival."

Earlier in the year BA pleaded with staff to work for nothing, take unpaid leave or cut their hours.

It is now looking for further efficiency savings, including cutting the number of cabin crew on a flight.

According to BA, its cabin crew earn twice as much as their counterparts at Virgin Atlantic and also enjoy generous allowances on top of their salary.

For example a crew member flying to Tokyo for a four day trip would receive allowances of £935 in addition to both salary and hotel costs.

Last year the airline carried 1.6 million people over the Christmas break with long haul destinations, such as New York in particularly strong demand.

Feelings had been running high among cabin crew, who have accused the company of trying to impose new contracts.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/trave ... trike.html