Contingencies In Place For Traveling Public

Even as talks between British Airways (BA) and its largest union resumed Sunday, plans are in place to support the world's 12th largest airline's customers should the threatened 48-hour cabin crew strike take place Tuesday and Wednesday.

A strike could affect more than 140,000 passengers, according to Reuters, and impact flights from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports. As Aero-News reported, BA has already cancelled 1,300 flights this week in advance of a strike.

Services will also be affected on either side of the strike, Monday evening and Thursday morning, BA warned.

Customers can obtain a full refund, rebook their flight, or be booked onto another airline; BA has established an additional call center to deal with thousands of passenger calls being made daily.

Spokespeople for BA and the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) both confirmed that talks were continuing but provided no additional information Sunday.

Following Saturday's day-long negotiations, however, unofficial sources said some progress had been made, according to The Guardian

BA's Chief Executive Willie Walsh is leading company's negotiators in the talks with union officials, including T&G's General Secretary Tony Woodley.

The union, which represents 11,000 stewards and stewardesses, asserts that 96 percent of the cabin crew it represents approve of a strike; the union threatens two additional 72-hour strikes next month unless the two sides can come to agreement.

Seventy percent of BA's cabin crew are members of T&G.

In an internal BA memo leaked to The Mail on Sunday, BA staff are being offered nearly $400 a day in addition to their regular wages to not participate in the strike.

BA says cabin crew were taking an average of 22 sick days per year before Walsh took charge; under a new absence policy, the figure has fallen to 12 days. Other issues under contention include salary and pensions.

The strike could cost BA more than $29 million dollars each day.

The airline is encouraging customers to check the British Airways website for updated information.

FMI: www.ba.com, www.tgwu.org.uk