HOLIDAYMAKERS faced a summer of misery last night after airport baggage handlers voted to take industrial action.

Members of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) employed by services group Aviance overwhelmingly backed walkouts in protest at a 2.5 per cent pay offer.

The action by staff could cause delays for passengers using the key holiday airports of Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick.

Other affected airports are Leeds-Bradford, Liverpool, Stanstead, Luton, Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Southampton.

At Teesside International Airport, any disruption is expected to be kept to a minimum. Newcastle Airport is unaffected.

The TGWU said talks will be held with the company tomorrow in a bid to avert stoppages.

Workers voted by 658 to 163 in favour of strikes, a majority of 4-1. Industrial action short of a strike was supported by 85 per cent of those who voted.

TGWU national officer Brendan Gold said: "This is a resounding vote by our members which sends a clear signal to Aviance that they must improve on the offer.

"The talks this Wednesday will now take on an added significance. Everyone is aware that aviation is a tough market and nobody is better placed to know that than the baggage handlers and check-in staff.

"They also know that the volume of their work is increasing as the industry gets busier and passenger numbers break record levels.

"That being the case, they know a bad deal when they see one, which is why we urge Aviance to listen to their workforce and act to improve the deal on offer and so avoid a damaging dispute."

A spokesman for Teesside Airport, where Aviance workers are in the GMB union, said any proposed strike would have a minimal effect as any walkout by handlers would involve British Midland flights only.

Regional organiser for the GMB, Jimmy Skivvington, said: "We are in talks with Aviance, which works in Teesside Airport handling British Midlands passengers. We have hit a stumbling block. There are plans for talks either later this week or early next week.

"If there is no resolution then we could ballot for industrial action but that could be six to eight weeks away - if at all."

Aviance is owned by the Go-Ahead group and employs more than 4,300 workers in aviation across the UK.

No one from Go-Ahead was available for comment yesterday.