Bill Carmichael: Striking BA crew must be off their trolleys

That's the only possible explanation for another series of planned

strikes beginning next week.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh has appealed for volunteers among his employees to keep aircraft flying, but even if he is successful, there will inevitably be some disruption.

In total, the union plans 23 days of walkouts in coming weeks,

disrupting travel to family holidays, school breaks, business trips and the World Cup in South Africa.

And if striking staff think they will get much sympathy from the travelling public, they are deluding themselves.

If you have saved up all year only to have your long-awaited holiday plans ruined by a strike, you are not going to look too kindly on the picket line trolley dollies who can earn more than 56,000 a year for a bit of glorified waitressing.

BA staff should count their blessings – as well as their substantial salaries – and realise the political and economic situation has changed dramatically in the 15 months since the dispute over pay and working conditions began.

Politically, the union bullies at Unite no longer hold any sway in Downing Street. There won't be beer and sandwiches at Number 10 and Gordon Brown is no longer around to do the bidding of Labour's union paymasters.

A Cameron/Clegg administration is much more likely to stand back and allow BA management to deal with the strike as the company sees fit.

Economically, the picture has changed, too. Figures this week show unemployment up 280,000 to 2.51 million – the highest level since 1994.

If BA staff don't want their jobs, there's plenty who do. And let's face it; we are not talking brain surgery here. How long does it take to train someone to demonstrate how to inflate a life jacket? Ten minutes?

In truth, BA staff have enjoyed – for many years – a salary and perks package that is beyond the dreams

of avarice.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, BA staff are paid an average annual wage of 29,900 – more than twice the salary of someone doing precisely the same job for Virgin Atlantic.

But this is only half the story. Senior staff working out of Heathrow on long-haul flights are paid far more and can pocket thousands in allowances. For example, cabin crew working on a return trip to Tokyo pick up 935 on top of their salary for every trip they make. The most senior crew earn an average of 56,325 and the main crew 34,980.

Add to this free and discounted travel concessions and seven weeks' paid holiday a year and you do start to wonder what exactly they are complaining about.

Well, apparently, because of staff cuts some senior cabin crew have found themselves having to serve meals in business class. Poor diddums! At the risk of labouring the point, there are plenty of hard-working, capable people out there who would be delighted to hand out a few meal trays in return for 50,000 a year.

Let's not forget that BA is being forced to make these economies

because it made a loss of 401m last year.

Unless the company can drastically cut its costs to enable it to

compete with its leaner rivals, the airline is quite simply doomed.

It's time for the strikers to get real and get back to work, before this ridiculous dispute damages BA beyond repair.

Weather check

Elvis's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, is reported to be considering leaving California and moving to England – because of the weather.

Yes, you read that correctly. The ex-wife of the late Michael Jackson is said to be sick of Los Angeles because of the balmy temperatures and clear blue skies.

So Lisa Marie is looking to buy an English stately home and installing fourth husband Michael Lockwood and 19-month-old twins Harper and Finley.

"Any place that is perpetually sunny is suspect and wrong," she said.

"I can honestly say I am the only person who came to England for the weather. I love the cold and rain."

If that is the case Lisa Marie, can I heartily recommend Yorkshire? Our cold and rain is of the finest quality, and I can assure you there is plenty of it!