BA cabin crew respond to strike critics

British Airways cabin crew have responded to criticism from CEO Willie Walsh, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and transport secretary Lord Adonis in a letter to TravelMole.

Signed by a member of BA in-flight staff, the letter denies crew are a "hotbed of irresponsible left-wing militants" trying to bring down the airline.

Instead, they are predominantly female, professional and loyal "middle England and middle class, desperately trying to save it".

This is the text of the letter:

Dear Mr. Walsh, Mr. Brown and Lord Adonis.

Firstly, our congratulations, you have almost pulled it off – for different reasons of course but essentially, when it comes down to it, the same reason – self aggrandisement.

Mr Walsh, you have successfully hijacked the spirit of British Airways and made it all about you and you alone, whilst Mr Brown and Lord Adonis to your shame, you have unquestioningly gone along with it.

There can be no other way than Mr Walsh’s. Forget the fact that many cabin crew have worked proudly for this airline for ten, twenty, thirty or even forty years; that whole families have followed in this profession of serving passengers though generations.

We were here before you came Mr Walsh and we will be here when you have moved on. You may have been CEO through the worst headlines that BA has ever endured but it is the almost clandestine move of charging British Airways’ customers a premium price whilst delivering a low cost service that will be your lasting legacy.

Far from keeping the flag flying, under your stewardship Mr Walsh, our airline has become a faded and tattered version of itself.

The media that cheer your iron fisted, jingoistic approach to staff relations will perhaps discover your real motives; as the high standards of service that British Airways prides itself on are allowed to dwindle away in the pursuit of lower costs.

Again, shame on you Mr Brown and Lord Adonis for choosing to be so ill-informed regarding the real reasons for our dispute, and equally for buying into that same myth for your own political ends.

The general election is due to be called on one of our strike dates and in a moral panic, without even bothering to look beyond the headlines and find out what really this is all about, you both leapt enthusiastically and cynically on the bandwagon of criticism.

After thirteen years in power you both finally choose to face down and condemn ‘union power’.

Except you got it wrong; this is not a hotbed of irresponsible left-wing militants trying to bring down an airline, but a predominantly female, professional and loyal, family orientated, middle England and middle class workforce, desperately trying to save it.

So bravo chaps. And the worse thing? You all know this, but it suits your different aims to allow decent, hard working, caring people to be falsely demonized in this way.

We know the good job that we do for our airline, and our customers appreciate the way we look after them; we don’t want to strike nor do we want to inconvenience a single customer, but we feel that we have been left with no other way to get our voices heard.

The campaign against cabin crew is helping British Airways to adopt a service style synonymous with our current cheerless CEO.

We don’t want that; we want to be proud to do the job that we love. We want to be able to say, ‘yes we can’ and ‘hope you enjoyed your flight’, not spend the whole flight apologising for ill thought through cost cutting measures.

We want to come to work without fear and with pride once again. We firmly believe that it is cabin crew who truly fly the flag for our airline – and yes, with a smile, not a sneer.

Sincerely, British Airways Cabin Crew