British Airways cabin crew union Unite has lost the latest round in a legal battle with the airline.
The Court of Appeal in London today ruled against the union that represents 12,000 BA flight attendants in its ongoing dispute with management over pay and working conditions.
It found that BA did not breach contracts when it cut cabin crew staffing levels last year without union approval.
The case is the latest in a series of legal fights between the airline and Unite. Cabin crew took part in 22 days of walkouts between March and June in a protest about staffing levels and pay.
The carrier has sued Unite over its decision to call the strikes, while Unite has opposed the airline’s decision to deny travel benefits to employees that participated in the walkouts.
BA said: “We are pleased with today’s Court of Appeal judgment, confirming that the modest changes we made to onboard crew numbers on flights from Heathrow 12 months ago were reasonable, did not breach crew contracts and can remain in place.”
The carrier added that the changes had made what it called a “substantial contribution” toward easing its financial position.
The airline said its crew had accepted these working arrangements “without difficulty”.