The prospect of fresh disruption to British Airways flights this spring has been raised as cabin crew are to be balloted over strike action.
The ballot will open on March 1 and close on March 28, with the decision to be announced soon afterwards.
BA workers voted last month for further stoppages, but the Unite union said earlier this month it would hold a new vote after a “legal blitz” by the airline.
The airline had argued that the last ballot was unlawful.
This will be the fourth ballot of the same workforce at the airline in a two year period.
In a letter sent to all BA union members yesterday, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: “If BA’s management believes that it can secure industrial harmony by these methods it is living in a fools’ paradise. Only negotiation, not litigation or intimidation, can start to heal the wounds caused by this dispute.
“However, given the on-going failure of British Airways management to take its employment relations seriously and start negotiating, we have today given the company formal notice of this fresh ballot.
“We have made every effort in prolonged negotiations to resolve this dispute. Throughout we have been guided by our representatives. If we could achieve a settlement then peace would at long last be at hand.
“BA management needs to understand that it will never break the spirit of cabin crew, and that customer uncertainty and confusion will continue until it starts listening to its staff.”
BA said “part from a tiny minority of hard-liners” everyone wanted the dispute to end.
“Should there be any further industrial action, we will implement our well-established contingency plans,” a spokesman said.
Should a strike take place the airline would fly a full schedule at London City Airport and Gatwick, with all Heathrow long-haul operations in place and many short-haul flights from the airport also in operation, BA pledged.