Walsh claims more crew will cross picket line this weekend
Monday, 24 Mar, 2010
0
One in five flights were affected by Unite’s three-day strike at British Airways, costing the airline £21m.
But chief executive Willie Walsh has said this weekend’s strikes, which will see 12,000 staff walk out, will affect less passengers. He said fewer flights will be cancelled because more crew want to cross the picket line.
Said Walsh: "As a result of the numbers of crew wanting to work, we are increasing significantly our flying schedule and will be operating a full schedule at Gatwick and London City airports." At Heathrow, BA wants to fly 70% of long-haul and 55% of short-haul flights.
But Unite’s joint general secretary Tony Woodley rubbished the statement, saying the schedule “had more holes in it than a Swiss cheese”.
This week has seen unlikely support for BA from Ryanair boss Micheal O’Leary who agreed to lease three planes to the carrier during last weekend’s strike and will lease more this weekend.
Known for his refusal to have any dealings with unions, O’Leary branded Unite’s Woodley a “dinosaur” stuck in the seventies. He told The Telegraph: “BA is in financial difficulties. It has an enormous pension deficit. But at the top of the trade union movement in the UK they have a lot of old headbangers clinging on to the 1960s and 1970s."
BA isn’t the only airline in Europe suffering from industrial unrest. Lufthansa staff will stage a four day walkout in April and TAP is to strike this weekend over pay.
By Dinah Hatch
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers