Talks to avert a 48-hour strike by British Airways cabin crew are likely to go to the wire today, but a settlement will not prevent disruption.
BA has cancelled 1,300 flights at Heathrow and Gatwick tomorrow and Wednesday, and aircraft and crew will be wrongly positioned even if the strike is called off.
The airline has offered passengers full refunds or alternative bookings, and rival carriers report a flood of bookings, particularly from business travellers.
There will be no BA flights out of Heathrow over the two days, but long-haul services into the airport should operate as normal. Crew outside the UK will not join the strike until they return.
At Gatwick, the airline hopes to operate some long-haul services.
Flights by BA franchise partners such as GB Airways and BMED are unaffected, as are the services of regional carrier BA Connect, which is in the process of being taken over by Flybe.
About 11,000 of BA’s 14,000 cabin crew, members of the T&G union, voted overwhelmingly to strike in a dispute over sickness procedures and a ceiling on pay rates. They argue experienced crew members can be on up to £10,000 a year less than longer-serving colleagues.
A settlement of the sickness dispute is believed to be close, but an impasse remains on salary rates, with BA insisting the issue may only be discussed as part of annual pay talks.
The union has called two further strikes, each of three days, beginning next Monday February 5 and the following Monday February 12 – the week of the school half-term holiday.
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