Turbulent flightpath of an increasingly bitter dispute

While the latest ballot had been declared null and void after the union had failed to tell some members 11 ballot papers out of 9,000 or so had been spoiled, the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and strikes now seem inevitable. Amid the to-ing and fro-ing it's hard to remember when the row began and see where it will ever end.

Why and when did the dispute start?

In fact, it was well over a year ago that the seeds of the current trouble were sown. BA said it needed to make savings in the face of the recession, which caused a big slump in air travel and proposed a cut in crew numbers on long-haul flights from 15 to 14, a two-year pay freeze and new contracts for fresh recruits and newly- promoted staff.

A series of negotiations were held between BA and all its unions. A deal was reached with pilots, the company remained in negotiation with check-in staff and baggage handler representatives, but talks with cabin crew leaders broke down.

Has either side made any concessions?

BA insists it has offered the partial reversal of staffing changes, altered its position on pay to guarantee rises in line with RPI inflation for two years and agreed to future promotions and transfers for current crew.

Unite maintains it has offered savings, including job and pay cuts, which come within 10m of the total needed by BA.

What are the pay rates for BA's cabin crew?

BA said its main Heathrow long-haul crew earned an average of 34,980, short-haul 25,773, while, at Gatwick, crew earned 18,323. They are well paid in industry terms – equivalent staff at Virgin Atlantic earn 14,400.

So what are the main stumbling blocks now?

Put simply it comes down to travel concessions and disciplinary action. When cabin crew last walked out in March, BA said that staff who took part in the strike would lose their travel perks permanently, including no longer getting the right to buy heavily discounted tickets.

The union has also condemned disciplinary action being taken against more than 50 union members.

Unite said almost 60 of its members had been suspended and eight sacked, including the senior official of its cabin crew branch Bassa.

The airline denies that it has bullied or intimidated staff.

How bad are relations between the two sides?

One word. Very. Unite even disagrees with the pay rates published by BA. The union said crew at Heathrow start on around 14,000 a year and work their way up to about 19,000 after 13 years. They can earn around 7,000 in allowances but that depends on trips, said the union. Gatwick crew start on 12,000, so qualifying for working families tax credit, said Unite, adding that the vast majority of crew earn 20,000

on average.

How much has the dispute cost BA?

The seven days of strikes in March cost BA between 40m and 45m and the next wave of walkouts will also cost the airline tens of millions of pounds if they go ahead. BA will announce its financial results for the last year tomorrow, which analysts expect will show losses of around 600m.

Will the two sides resume talks before the strikes are due next week?

The union appealed to BA to return to the negotiating table following yesterday's court ruling, and there is a good chance that one more attempt will be made to break the deadlock.

How many flights will operate if the strikes go ahead?

In the first round of action in March, BA said it carried more than 60 per cent of customers booked to travel, rising to more than 70 per cent in the second wave of strikes. BA was planning to run over 60 per cent of long haul and half of short haul from Heathrow if this week's strikes had gone ahead. The airline can be expected to run a similar level of services under contingency plans for dealing with any action in the coming weeks.

When are the next strikes due to be held?

Unite is now planning three periods of five-day walkouts from May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9, which would finish just two days before the start of the soccer World Cup in South Africa.