British Airways has secured an injunction from the high court blocking the 12-day strike by cabin crew over Christmas.
The court agreed with the airline that the Unite union had not balloted its members correctly. The union included 800 staff who had already accepted voluntary redundancy and were due to leave the company before the walkout took place.
A spokesman for British Airways said: “We are delighted for our customers that the threat of a Christmas strike has been lifted by the court.
“There was never any need for a strike and we hope that Unite will take this opportunity to reflect before deciding its next steps. We believe the public would want that too. In recent days, we believe Unite has formed a better understanding of our position and of the ways in which we could move forward.
He added: “It has also become very clear that our customers do not believe that old-style trade union militancy is relevant to our efforts to move BA back towards profitability. Financial success is essential to build the kind of business our customers want and provide long-term opportunities for our staff.”
The decision will come as a relief to the 1 million holidaymakers booked to travel with BA over the Christmas period.