BA offers cabin crew £400 bonuses

British Airways is reportedly offering cabin crew up to GBP400 per flight because of a severe shortage of staff. According to a report in The Guardian, the deal was agreed last week because of “an error in the rostering process” – at a time when the carrier has highlighted its dire absenteeism problem. The newspaper also reports that ground staff at Heathrow are also being offered a GBP150 bonus if they have a “perfect” attendance record in April. As reported by News From Abroad, BA chief executive Rod Eddington last week complained to BA workers, in the firm’s staff magazine, that they were taking an average of 16 days’ sick leave each year – more than twice the national average. The Guardian quotes an internal memo sent last week by in-flight services manager Mike Harrington, which refers to a “significant shortage of worldwide cabin crew” on its Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft. The memo also reportedly refers to an agreement between the carrier and trade union representatives, to allow jumbo jets to operate with 14 staff rather than 15, in return for cash bonuses. T he newspaper quotes a BA spokeswoman as saying that the shortage came about because of a rostering error that had left the airline short of 50 cabin staff, and that the situation could be classed as “extraordinary”. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad