MORE than 100,000 British Airways passengers have had flights cancelled after ground staff walked out in sympathy with 800 workers sacked by the airline’s catering supplier.
BA cancelled all flights in and out of Heathrow until at least 6pm today. More than 500 flights have been cancelled — 100 yesterday and about 450 today. Thousands of passengers spent the night at Heathrow after BA could book only 2,000 hotel rooms for 17,000 passengers trapped by yesterday’s cancellations. The airline was looking for rooms in hotels as far away as Brighton.
Thousands of passengers were left without flights around the world and thousands who did arrive at Heathrow in the afternoon were trapped on aircraft for up to four hours and could not collect their luggage.
Hopes of a breakthrough in the dispute were dashed last night when Gate Gourmet, the catering supplier, rejected a compromise proposed by leaders of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, in which staff would be reinstated in return for changing working practices.
Senior union officials gave warning last night that the dispute could drag on for days.
BA told passengers not go to Heathrow but to contact the airline or travel agent to arrange a refund or to rebook. Details of the flying programme will be updated on its ba.com website.
Some 1,000 BA baggage handlers, loaders and drivers members refused to work in protest at the sackings. The dispute spread to BA check-in staff from the GMB union, which demanded that its members be withdrawn from duty because of abuse from passengers.
The dispute comes at the peak of the summer holiday season, with 100,000 passengers a day flying in and out of Heathrow with BA. The cancellations are likely to cost BA more than the £40 million it lost in July 2003 when it cancelled 500 flights because of strikes by check-in staff.
Qantas, British Mediterranean, Finn Air and Air Lanka also had to cancel flights yesterday evening because BA provides their baggage handling.
The dispute had meant that earlier BA could not serve meals on flights from Heathrow. First-class passengers, normally served caviar and champagne, were given £40 vouchers to buy food. Business-class travellers received £30, long-haul economy passengers £10. Economy passengers on European flights had bags of snacks, including processed cheese and crackers.
Gate Gourmet carried out the sackings on Wednesday after an unofficial stoppage over its employment of 130 casual staff. Staff meeting in the canteen were told by loudspeaker that they had three minutes to return to work or be sacked. More staff were sacked by megaphone in the company car park.
The company, which took over catering from BA in 1997, has been losing money for five years and had been attempting to reach an agreement with the union over restructuring. The union said that the decision to employ casual workers had undermined efforts to reach an agreement. Hundreds of workers were moved from Gate Gourmet’s offices by police.
The sympathy strikes involve many relatives of those sacked by Gate Gourmet. A union spokesman said that Heathrow’s manual workers were a close-knit and overwhelmingly Asian community.
More than 95 per cent of the sacked staff, who earn between £12,000 and £16,000 a year, are Asian and just over half are women. Baggage handlers who walked out were angered by reports that women had been manhandled by security staff.
The union also claimed that the sackings had been engineered, with letters of dismissal drawn up in advance. Dozens of staff on holiday or off sick received letters yesterday telling them they had been sacked. The company admitted that this had been a mistake.
BA said that it had cancelled flights today because it was uncertain how many staff would report for work and that many of its aircraft and crew were out of position.
Sir Rod Eddington, the chief executive, said that the company was doing all it could to resolve the dispute.
“I apologise unreservedly to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans,” he said. “It is a matter of huge disappointment that we have become embroiled in an issue that is not a dispute with BA.”
Tony Woodley, the union’s general secretary, said that the company had promised proposals to break the deadlock. “Gate Gourmet is using heavy-handed US-style union-busting tactics which are unacceptable,” he added.
Gate Gourmet said that it had lost £22 million last year and could lose £25 million this year. “If we don’t change, the company will not survive and there will be no future.”
On being told that there would be no flights until 6pm tonight Nickolle Preaseau, an advertising executive from Washington DC, said: “This is devastating. I have got to get back to my family. I’ve got a job to go to and bills to pay. I can’t stay here in this airport and there are no hotels left.”
Eva Ekstrom, 25, who was with her daughter, Emma Arvidsson, said: “We will just have to sit it out. We have money, we have food and we have water. I guess we can make ourselves comfortable.”
Michael Karoleski, 35, a software engineer attempting to fly home to Pennsylvania, said: “I understand that the striking staff are trying to make a statement to their employers but it’s not fair that passengers suffer.”
Angelo Debrincat, who was waiting to fly to Sydney, said that he was surprised that a strike had been allowed. “You had all these bombings last month, now look at this. Hundreds crushed into the terminal. It’s a terrorist’s delight.”
ADVICE FOR TRAVELLERS
- What should I do if my flight is cancelled?
BA’s commercial policy allows customers to rebook flights or get a refund. Call the helpline on 0800 727800 to rebook
- Should I go to the airport for a flight today?
BA advised passengers to check on www.ba.com before going to the airport but said last night that it was too early to comment on today’s operation
- Could I get a flight from another airport?
If a flight is cancelled at Heathrow and there are seats on a flight from Gatwick to the same destination, passengers will be given the option of having their flight rebooked from Gatwick
- If there are flights, should I bring food?
BA said that food problems were continuing and that passengers should come prepared
- What if my flight is part of a package holiday?
Responsibility for rearranging the flight rests with the tour operator, according to the Association of British Travel Agents. If your outbound flight cannot be rearranged, you are entitled to an alternative holiday or you can cancel and receive a full refund
- What are my rights to compensation?
Under EU regulations, customers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to compensation from the airline, including a refund, meals and refreshments and accommodation, unless the airline can prove that the cancellation was due to “extraordinary circumstances” beyond its control
