BA slams "unjustified" strike threat

British Airways has condemned as "completely unjustfied" the outcome of the Unite union ballot of cabin crew supporting strike action.

Describing the outcome of the ballot as "very disappointing," the airline said: "In the weeks before and during the ballot period, Unite claimed that we had breached individual crew members’ contracts by making modest changes to onboard crew numbers on flights from Heathrow.

"We have always said this claim was false, and it was rejected by the High Court three days ago."

A statement from the airline added: "The vast majority of crew who voted in this ballot will have done so before the High Court decision. We hope Unite will bear this fact in mind as it considers its next steps.

"We believe some progress has been made in recent talks under the auspices of the TUC and we reiterate our wish to resolve the issues between us in the interests of our customers and all our staff."

But BA added: "We will not allow Unite to ruin this company. Should a strike take place, we will do everything we can to protect our customers’ travel plans as far as possible.

"In the meantime, we continue to run our business and our flights are operating as normal."

Antony Martin, managing director of Insurefor.com, responded by saying: “Airline strikes are bad news for travellers.

"No matter what causes your trip to be delayed, cancelled or interrupted, you need to know how travel insurance can cover you.

"So with all the delays and cancellations that could affect flights from UK airports due to the different staff strikes threats, what should travellers do?

"The key thing for the consumer to focus on in this situation is to look for products that offer more protection than just simple travel insurance.

"For example, scheduled airline failure and other types of failure products allow travellers to continue with their trip in event of airline staff strike situations."

*See linked strike ballot story.

by Phil Davies