BA strikes latest: Airline says 99% of flights will operate during next cabin-crew walkout

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British Airways says it will cancel only 24 flights during the second round of industrial action by some Heathrow-based cabin crew.

Members of the Unite union working for BA’s Mixed Fleet operation are to strike from Thursday to Saturday, 19-21 January. The dispute is over what the union calls “poverty pay”. Unite claims many staff are reporting for duty while unfit, rather than lose the £3 per hour allowance they earn while on duty.

During the 48-hour strike last week, The Independent identified 44 cancelled flights, representing 2.75 per cent of the total schedule. BA says all but 1 per cent of flights will operate as normal during the next stoppage.

The 16 cancellations are of short-haul flights. BA says: “Customers affected will be able to fly slightly earlier or slightly later.”

Affected passengers also have the option to change the date of departure to avoid the strike days, switch to an alternative city within 300 miles of the original destination, or claim a full refund.

Some flights will be operated by aircraft chartered in by British Airways to cover for its own grounded planes. The airline says: “We will inform customers on those flights in advance. We’re finalising these details.”

Unite’s national officer, Oliver Richardson, said: “British Airways should be under no illusion about our members’ determination to secure a settlement that addresses their concerns over poverty pay.”

The two sides cannot agree about current pay levels nor the effect of the last strike.

“We would urge British Airways to avoid the inconvenience and disruption of industrial action by meaningfully addressing levels of poverty pay which are causing financial worry and distress to ‘mixed fleet’ cabin crew.”

Mixed Fleet work on about 30 per cent of flights from Heathrow. Services from Gatwick, Stansted and London City are unaffected.