Travel agents will start switch-selling if British Airways cannot resolve its catering and workforce problems this week, ABTA president Martin Wellings has warned.
BA is waiting to hear if Gate Gourmet and Transport and General Workers’ Union have reached agreement over the dismissal of 670 catering workers on August 11, which triggered unofficial strikes by Gate Gourmet staff and BA ground handlers.
BA lost more than £30 million over the five days of its third consecutive summer crisis. It cancelled almost 700 Heathrow flights and offered little, if any, catering on operating flights.
This week it resumed serving several hot food options and deli-bags across all seat classes on long-haul Heathrow flights, but short-haul passengers still received food vouchers only.
Wellings questioned whether BA should continue to charge premium fares while offering such basic catering.
However, a BA spokeswoman said the airline was only bound to a contract of carriage, meaning getting passengers from point A to point B.
“If this continues, if there are ongoing problems with the food plus the lingering threat of baggage handler strikes, we will see switch-selling,” Wellings said.
“Why should people bother travelling with BA when there is so much other choice out there in the market?”
BA submitted a revised commercial deal to Gate Gourmet this week extending its contract with the caterer by two years until 2010. A BA spokeswoman said the deal’s future now depends on whether Gate Gourmet can resolve its workforce issues.
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