Holiday Travel Threatened as BA Employees Prepare to Strike

Heading across this pond this holiday season? If you're planning to fly British Airways, prepare yourself for some possible flight interruptions.

The Times online is reporting that unions representing British Airways' 14,000 cabin crew said strike action is in the works. The reason? After nine months of negotiations regarding to crew working conditions, a pay freeze and staff redundancies, talks broke down and the union called for a strike. If the cabin crew agree, the first strikes will likely take place early December, just in time for holiday flights.

According to The Times, British Airways lost £401 million in 2008 and in an effort to cut costs, BA's management wants to reduce its cabin crew budget by about £140 million a year. The airline suggested this budget cut come in the form of pay freezes and reducing travel allowances for international travel. In addition to the staff cuts, more than 1,000 cabin crew will be offered voluntary buy-outs and an additional 3,000 employees will be asked to move to part-time employment.

If the strike takes place, it's likely British Airways will be forced to cancel flights during December, causing a disruption in holiday travel.

© Cheapflights Ltd