[NTarrant]

Expat – I do appreciate your situation and you are not the only one to book business trips in advance to take advantage of lower fares, I do the same where I can.

The point I was making is that UK laws mean that at least you know in advance, when, how long and when it will end. How many of your thousands of flights have been disrupted by weather, terror threats, increased security, air traffic controllers in France, baggage handlers not affiliated to BA and the list could go on. I find it hard to believe that in 32 years you have only been disrupted by the threat of strikes by BA and have never been caught by disruption to other airlines or by other factors.

Whilst you do say by industrial action its only BA, again find that hard to believe in your experience of 32 years and thousands of flights, unless of course they have all been on BA in which case I would say you have been incredably unlucky

[Expat_Consultant]

I find it hard to believe that in 32 years you have only been disrupted by the threat of strikes by BA and have never been caught by disruption to other airlines or by other factors.

Whilst you do say by industrial action its only BA, again find that hard to believe in your experience of 32 years and thousands of flights, unless of course they have all been on BA in which case I would say you have been incredably unlucky

I now remember that I once suffered a cancelation with Air France, due to a French ATC strike, circa 1979.

Apart from that, BA has the honours. And I am not inluding the GG fiasco in that thinking.

WIth regard to wx cancelations, very, very rare with other airlines. BA does have a tendency to drop short haul/domestic like a hot cake, compared to other airlines.

The last two non BA wx disruptions I suffered were with easyJet in 2007, involving an airborne return due to severe thunderstorms and an en route diversion to Richmond, VA, with Delta in 2003 for the same reason.

[austline]

The only time I have had to purchase a ticket home was 3 years ago when BA Cabin Crew were going to strike and BA cancelled flights from Nigeria and I had to purchase a ticket back to Aust on EK. I have also had lengthy delays on both QF and BA. But I still prefer to use Oneworld carriers as I purcahse J RTW and unlike Star and SQ in particlar, who have surcharges if you travel on the 777ER and A380 with the new J& F seating, QF has no surcharges on its A380 nor does BA on its aircraft. Also I have just lost a heap of FF points on EK and SQ as they expire after 3 years. But if I have delays this time around through a QF or BA industrial dispute, I will be changing carriers as I am losing confidence.

[Binman62]

Easter Strike threat abandoned……looks like some good news at last

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8469856.stm

[GTR_Skyline]

But now the strikes could commence earlier…as early as 1st March 2010, so threat of strike action and associated uncertainty and anxiety still there for leisure and business travellers…

[VintageKrug]

I have it on good authority that Willie’s Not For Turning:

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o147/airlinetripreports/maggiewalsh.jpg

[GTR_Skyline]

Go Maggie, Go…sorry, Go Willie, Go….great pic 🙂

[Expat_Consultant]

Mmmmmm…..

Maggie’s track record speaks for itself.

Willie has yet to finish his.

[AlanReynolds1]

I think the management has to sit this one out. I have just travelled economy to/from Poland with Easyjet and Transavia (BA have withdrawn from route). Frankly apart from selling rather than giving out meals, I observed no difference in what these cabin staff did and what BA staff do. So why need BA more? I can see that the CURRENT staff dont WANT to give up better terms (I would not, in their shoes) but BA as a MINIMUM should pay NEW employees only what the market is paying.

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[VintageKrug]

Ridiculous!

Ba Management has ofered to open the books and have talks to BASSA/Unite, they have refused, citing “preconditions”.

BALPA, the Pilots Union, did take up management offer of a talks, saw the books, and have a negotiated settlement which involves reduced salary and changed working practices.

Unite has FAILED to go to the negotiating table, and has FAILED its membership. It now deserves exactly what it will get i.e. no deal and dictated terms = bad for its members.

[GTR_Skyline]

VintageKrug – you beat me to it….well said.

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[BusinessClass]

I agree with VintageKrug!

[viking01]

Yes, but the trouble is, re:” Unite now deserves exactly what it will get i.e. no deal and dictated terms = bad for its members.” It won’t get that.

What instead will happen is a series of strikes as on one side staff refuse to give up benefits they were awarded in better times, and on the other, Walsh sees this as the one and only time he can push through realistic working practices and try and get into at least the same league as other carriers against which he is competing (though there’s no chance of getting his costs down to compete with the likes of Easyjet and Flybe).

When the economy recovers, Walsh can’t have this fight because Unite will point to recovering financial results and no doubt “fat cat” bonuses, but right now, no one can blame him for trying to cut costs.

But if you were the staff, whether on 25k or 50k, why agree measures which are viewed as the thin(ish) end of a very thick wedge which will see you brought down to the level of those who work for other airlines on other terms? You’d be better off striking (or so the thinking goes).

The fact is that every time BA was threatened with strike action in the last 25 years it caved in and showered money and improved working terms on the staff.

It could get away with it when there was less competition (ie: up to about 15 years ago), and when it had a huge and unrivalled route network out of Heathrow. But the world has changed. It’s wrong to talk of BA facing competition on short haul because there is no competition – it lost the battle a long time ago.

As for long haul, the competition has never been fiercer, both from ME carriers and those carriers with quick feet that formed alliances. And though it’s slightly off thread, the idea that Iberia is a good match for BA is madness. They have worse problems than BA. Iberia works only as a poison pill to stop someone else taking over BA. Together, BA and Iberia would kill any other airline trying to swallow them.

Now it is immune to takeover, Walsh can have his fight to the death with the crew, but it will be that, because you can’t lose money for ever….

[Author]

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