BA pilots authorize strike

[commonsense2]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23272805/

[Globaliser]

I know that events could in time prove me wrong, but personally I don't believe that this will get near a real strike.

 

The pilots want assurances to preserve the T&C that they have, rather than pushing for anything more. So it's not an issue in which striking is a calculated gamble - voluntarily lose something now, in the hope of getting it back and more over time. And OpenSkies is going to be such a tiny operation compared to mainline, even if it does well, that it makes little sense for the pilots to go to the wall on this.

 

Immediate noises are encouraging too: BBC news says:-

BA seeks resolution in pilot row

 

British Airways pilots have agreed to independent conciliation in an effort to resolve a dispute over BA's plans to launch a new transatlantic subsidiary.

BA and the British Airline Pilots Association jointly expressed a "strong desire" to reach a peaceful outcome.

...

[SelectSys]

Here is the link to the pilot's union web site that outlines their issues with BA's new OpenSkies venture:

http://www.baplane-bapilot.org/Home.aspx

[greatam]

BA pilots agreed late yesterday to mediation and have backed off the strike.

 

I can't read the entire story in my email, as it requires a subscription to some aviation/union newsletter. But maybe someone can find the complete story. Header had a 9:30PM time-don't know whether that was UK time or US time.

 

"British Airways pilots on Thursday stepped back from a strike authorization less than a day after giving it overwhelming approval.

 

During a meeting between union officials and airline executives at BA's headquarters near Heathrow, the two sides agreed to enter mediation to resolve their dispute over pay and benefits at BA's new subsidiary, OpenSkies."

[Globaliser]

The FT this morning confirmed something that I had been wondering about yesterday. Analysts seem to think it possible that a strike could cause BA to miss its big financial target for this year: a year-round operating margin of 10%.

 

Now, seeing as everyone in the company stands to get paid a good bonus when this target (set in about 2001 or 2002) is achieved, and given that pilots probably stand to get bigger cash sums than, say, check-in agents, what does that say about the appetite for a real strike?

[TravlGrl]

Here's the article I received in my USA Today Travel email -- http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-02-21-ba-strike_N.htm?csp=Travel