Travel Tips
British Airways Crew Threatens Strike for 12 Days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my airline gave to me … no cabin crew, many grounded flights and a globe full of angry passengers…
The union for British Airways’ cabin crew has announced that it will strike over the Christmas holiday, one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
Find out why the strike is happening now, and how it could affect your holiday travel plans …
Union leaders say the strikes will start on December 22 and run through January 2, potentially disrupting the plans of thousands of travelers and costing the airline millions.
BA employees have reportedly been growing progressively more anxious and frustrated as the airline attempts to cut costs. With more layoffs on the horizon and changes to staff contracts and work practices, 92.5 percent of the 13,500 participating workers voted in favor of striking.
BA representatives have called the union’s decision to strike cynical and unjustified. “It is very sad that they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case,” says BA chief executive Willie Walsh.
Experts estimate that even a two-day strike during Christmas would cost the airline in the neighborhood of £50 million, or $80 million. The struggling airline recently revealed it had lost £292 million (about $475 million) in the first half of the year, the worst in its history.
BA officials have warned that the decision to strike over the holidays will not win the crew any sympathy from passengers. But union leaders say they had no other choice, and hope passengers will get angry with the company, not the crew. The union has also emphasized that it is willing to talk to avoid the disruption.
BA may also be trying to merge its way out of its problems. Learn more about this effort in Iberia-British Airways Merger Raises Competition Concerns
But BA maintains that its package for the crew is reasonable and cost reductions across the company are essential to return the company to the black.
As of now, customers with flights booked during the 12 days of the threatened strike, or 48 hours on either side of those dates, can rebook to travel at a later date. But this doesn’t really help those who need to travel during the strike dates.
Airline representatives say they have been contacting passengers affected by the threatened strike via email and text message. Though they have yet to announce a contingency plan, officials say they are working on reworking flight schedules and will announce their decisions as soon as possible.
By Dan Bence for PeterGreenberg.com.
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