BA pilots' strike threatens Easter holiday flights

Air passengers face the prospect of Easter air chaos as British Airways pilots say they will back strike action.

The dispute has been sparked by a row over BA plans to launch a transatlantic subsidiary flying from the Continent to the USA, sparking a price war with rivals.

BA pilots say this is a "Trojan Horse" that will lead to the airline cutting the salaries, terms and conditions of existing BA pilots, and replacing them with cheaper alternatives. The ballet result is due on February 20.

All of BA's 3,200 pilots in the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) are voting on a campaign of industrial action over whether there will be "open access" to jobs between the airline and the service.

But a senior BALPA source said: "We have got the vote for strike action. All the indications from representatives is that members are very worried about the future and are supporting the action."

If the pilots go on strike, it will be the first time they have taken action since 1980.

Balpa will officially declare the result of its strike ballot on February 20 and announce the strike plans the following day. By law it must give BA seven days' notice of any action, which means the first stoppages could begin on February 29.

The dispute flared over BA's announcement of a new subsidiary, OpenSkies, due to start in June, offering luxury seat flights from continental Europe to America.

Details of the new airline - codenamed "Project Lauren" - were first disclosed by the Daily Mail when BA started recruiting pilots in secret.

Balpa General secretary Jim McAuslan said BA planned to "massively outsource" flying duties to less highly trained and lower paid pilots: "Then the company will use this poorer paid, pilot force as a Trojan horse to beat down the pay and conditions of its current pilot employees.

He said: "We have seen the evidence and what BA proposes is an attack on current pilots and their families. That is why we are vigorously opposing this outsourcing. OpenSkies will be using BA planes and they should be crewed by BA pilots."

He said: "What is happening around the world is that major airlines are setting up a subsidiary which starts with just a few aircraft but which is rapidly expanded using outsourced pilots. The mainline pilots are then told they must cut back their own pay and conditions to the levels of the subsidiary.

"We have seen it happening around the world and we are fighting to prevent it happening here in Britain. We are saying to BA that we are drawing a line in the sand."

A BA spokesman said: "We are disappointed that Balpa has confirmed its intention to ballot its members for industrial action over our plans for our new subsidiary airline, OpenSkies.

"We have given Balpa assurances that OpenSkies will have no detrimental impact on BA pilots. We hope that these assurances will dissuade Balpa from initiating action that would cause disruption for customers and harm our business."

The BA spokesman said: "We have created OpenSkies because, for the first time, we are being allowed to fly directly between continental Europe and the U.S.

"This is an historic opportunity to strengthen and grow our business, which is very much in the interests of customers and staff. There is no change to the terms and conditions for BA pilots, which are among the best in the industry.

"We have told Balpa that we will offer secondments to BA pilots wishing to work for OpenSkies, with their pensions and seniority protected. We have asked Balpa to represent the pilots in the new airline."