Travellers facing flight chaos as union overturns BA strikes ban

Unite won an appeal against an injunction which blocked a planned five-day walkout this week and later confirmed that strikes will start next Monday.

Cabin crew will take action for five days, followed by further five-day stoppages from May 30-June 3 and from June 5-9, threatening travel chaos for tens of thousands of passengers.

BA said it was "disappointed" with the Court of Appeal's decision, but said it will implement contingency plans to keep aircraft flying.

Shares in BA fell sharply after Unite won its appeal.

The airline is set to unveil a huge 600m slide into the red for the year to March today, bringing total losses in the past two years to 1bn after a 401m reverse in 2009. The latest results will include an estimated 40m to 45m hit from the first round of strikes in March.

The new strikes could cost the firm another 100m, with Iceland's volcanic ash cloud adding to its woes.

Unite said after the ruling: "Following today's decision by the Court of Appeal to overturn the injunction restraining strike action at British Airways, Unite the union today confirmed that cabin crew would go on strike for five days from Monday May 24, as previously notified."

Joint general secretaries Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley said British Airways now had a chance over the next three days to address outstanding concerns and seize the possibility for industrial peace, adding: "We hope it has the wisdom to do so."

Two out of three judges in the Court of Appeal in London found in favour of the union, with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge stressing that the court was not making any comment about the merits or otherwise of the industrial action.

"We must all hope for a speedy and fair resolution of this dispute. It must be resolved by negotiation. Legal processes do not constitute mediation. On the contrary they often serve to inflame rather than mollify the feelings of those involved," he said.

Mr Simpson appealed to BA to resume negotiations to try to resolve the bitter row, saying this was not a moment for "triumphalism".

He said there had to be an honourable settlement, stressing that the two outstanding issues of travel concessions and staff suspensions had to be resolved.

Mr Simpson said the two sides were "within a slither" of reaching an agreement over jobs, pay and working practices, but the row over travel concessions and suspensions was stopping a deal.

BA said: "We are very disappointed for our customers that Unite's appeal has been upheld and that the union intends to go ahead with its unjustified and pointless strikes.

"We will implement our contingency plan to keep British Airways flying. We are confident that thousands of cabin crew will ignore Unite's strike call and help us fly more than 70 per cent of the customers who were booked to fly with us in the period targeted.

"We will run a full programme at Gatwick and London City. At Heathrow, we will operate more than 60 per cent of our longhaul operation and more than 50 per cent of shorthaul."