British Airways announces 20-days of strikes

British Airways cabin crew have announced four sets of five-day strikes, starting next Tuesday, bringing further misery to air passengers.

The first strike will take place from May 18 to 22. There will then be further strikes from May 24 to 28, May 30 to June 3 and June 5 to 9. The 20 days of strikes will be separated by just one day of normal service.

The BA cabin crew's union Unite is hoping the airline will not have sufficient contingency plans to cope with more than three weeks of disruption.

Unite leaders say BA could avert a strike if its management returns to the negotiating table, but so far BA has refused.

In a statement on its website, BA said: We are disappointed that Unite has announced that it intends to take further strike action.

"We are currently considering our response so we can minimise any disruption during this strike period. All our flights are operating as normal at the moment."

Passengers due to travel on one of the strike days will be offered a refund or an alternative flight if BA cancels their original flight. Under European Union rules passengers who are given less than two weeks notice of cancellations are also eligible to up to £600 compensation.

Passengers who bought travel insurance before the strikes were announced may be able to claim compensation. They should check the small print of their travel insurance policies or speak directly to their insurer.

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