South African commuters will be among the thousands of travellers set to be inconvenienced as British Airways on Thursday announced the cancellation of all its flights for two days next week from London’s Heathrow airport, and many from Gatwick, due to a planned strike by cabin crew.
The move next Tuesday and Wednesday will likely lead to another bout of travel chaos for air passengers, and will cost the airline millions of pounds in lost revenues.
Spokesperson for BA in South Africa, Stephen Forbes, told the Mail & Guardian Online that South Africa will be inconvenienced by the upcoming strike action. ”[The strike] will affect South African flights in that all flights out of London Heathrow will be cancelled [for its duration],” he said
The cancellation will include all BA flights departing to South Africa from just after midnight on Tuesday January 30, until just before midnight on Wednesday the 31st.
BA’s stewards and stewardesses are protesting over sick leave, pay and staffing conditions. Unions have warned that there will be two more three-day work stoppages in February if the dispute remains unresolved.
Forbes said BA is still trying to reach negotiated settlements with its striking crew members.
”The airline remains committed to pursuit of a negotiated settlement before next Tuesday but wants customers to have early warning of its flying schedule to allow sufficient time for alternative travel arrangements to be made,” a statement from the airline said.
”Many long-haul aircraft will depart from Heathrow during Tuesday and Wednesday. They will not have customers on board because of the lack of cabin crew due to the strike.
”The aircraft will fly to destinations overseas to collect a crew down route, enabling a significant number of long-haul inbound flights to Heathrow to operate normally to bring customers home,” the statement said.
But Forbes added that if BA is able to resolve the matter before the end of the 48-hour strike, they will try their ”level best to reinstate those flights [that were cancelled]”.
‘Bitterly disappointed’
Speaking after more than 24 hours of intense discussions with the main union representing cabin crew, BA chief executive Willie Walsh said he was ”bitterly disappointed” that it had not accepted a management pay offer.
”It has chosen instead to confirm a 48-hour stoppage for next week that will wreck the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of customers,” he said in a BA statement.
As well as all flights at Heathrow, BA will also ground domestic and European flights to and from Gatwick on the two days — January 30 and 31 — after the collapse of talks to resolve the row.