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BA pilots' strike threat to Easter holiday flights
Dick Murray, Transport Editor11 Feb 2008
British Airways pilots have backed strike action which is threatening flights during the Easter holidays.
Heathrow and Gatwick would be seriously disrupted and BA's move to the new Terminal 5 next month could be affected.
The dispute is over plans to create an airline with separate pilots who will fly between New York and Paris or Brussels.
The British Airline Pilots Association fears this will lead to a lowering of working conditions which will then spread to the main airline.
Balpa will declare the result of its ballot among nearly 3,000 pilots next Wednesday, 20 February. It will announce its strike plans the next day.
By law, the union must then give seven days' notice of any action, meaning the first stoppages could begin on Friday, 29 February.
A senior Balpa source said today: "We have got the vote for strike action. All the indications from our representatives is that our members are very worried about the future and are supporting the action."
Jim McAuslan, Balpa's general secretary, said the "real reason" BA wants to pick a fight with its pilots is that it wants to "outsource" flying duties to less highly trained and lower paid pilots.
Mr McAuslan said: "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 the "Trojan Horse" is BA's planned OpenSkies subsidiary which will fly passengers from European capitals to the US.
A BA spokesman described Balpa's fears as "unfounded" and said: "We have guaranteed to BA pilots that the creation of OpenSkies will not in any way affect their current terms and conditions. It is simply not true that the new subsidiary will be used to beat down BA pilots' pay and conditions or threaten their jobs."
• Passengers using Gatwick's North Terminal will be allowed more than one piece of hand luggage from today, subject to the airline's permission. All airports must ease the restriction by 31 May.
Reader views (4)
What is it with people that earn a very good salary but still feel hard done by. Wake up at smell the coffee BA pilots! I certainly would never book a flight with BA due to their unreliability in every area from booking the flight to returning home. I am hoping my friend who is flying back from Thailand in March is not held up as he has not had a holiday in years and this strike would certainly change his mind in booking a BA flight ever again. Then again, the reaction of BA pilots to "holiday-makers" is "go to another airline to book your flights". Maybe it is time for the public to boycott BA and see how they like it! The public work all year and save all year to have a break so why should we be inconvenienced yet again.
- Caroline, Bromley, 24/02/2008 21:55
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BA pilots get paid enough as it is, customers will go elsewhere
- Jonn, Bathgate, 21/02/2008 18:57
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BA have given pledges, promises before only for them to go back on their word - they lie!
- Mary Balfour, Sussex, 19/02/2008 15:31
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If BA have given a pledge that jobs and conditions are secure why can't balpa accept this people will just book other airlines and once again the public suffers. Have they forgotten last year outside Heathrow?
- John Grove, hornchurch, 18/02/2008 12:45
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