BA crew threaten half-term holiday chaos

British Airways cabin crew are threatening a prolonged period of strike action that could wreck the holiday plans of thousands of families over the Whitsun break.

Crew voted overwhelmingly in favour of further strike action last week and there are fears that the walk-outs could take place as schools break up for the half-term holiday.

The crew's union Unite is expected to announce further strike dates early this week following meetings with representatives of BA's cabin crew.

The earliest that strikes could take place is May 17 as the union must give BA at least seven days' notice of any industrial action; the latest they could begin is June 6.

Sources close to the cabin crew say that they are planning at least 10 days of strikes, which would cause more damage to BA than the shorter strikes staged earlier this year.

Cabin crew last week rejected a peace deal from BA as the airline refused to reinstate travel perks for crew who took part in earlier strikes and refused to halt disciplinary action against 55 members of staff for alleged misconduct during the run-up to the strikes.

A said in a statement that it was disappointed by the result of the ballot. In a statement the airline said: British Airways is disappointed but not surprised that Unite has clearly orchestrated a rejection of a very fair offer that addresses all the concerns raised during 14 months of talks.

"We urge Unite to put an end to this unnecessary dispute and focus on the best interests of its members. There can be nothing positive to be gained from further strikes."

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