Talks between British Airways and unions representing cabin crew reportedly broke down last night, raising fears of Christmas flight disruption.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh refused to drop plans to impose working practice changes on the airline’s 14,000 cabin crew, which the Unite union had insisted was a prerequisite to resolving the dispute, The Times reported.
Walsh met Derek Simpson, joint general secretary of Unite, in an attempt to break the deadlock between the two sides.
But the meeting is understood to have ended without agreement, according to some reports.
No further meetings are planned and Unite is canvassing members within the BA workforce on industrial action.
However, The Daily Telegraph reported that following the "open and frank" meeting, the airline was waiting for a response to a letter written by BA to the union after the talks
The airline is attempting to cut £140 million from its annual cabin crew costs after losing more than £400 million last year.
The changes are due to be imposed from November 16. They include reducing the number of crew on aircraft by one and requiring senior cabin crew to take part in normal food and drink service.
by Phil Davies
