I AM booked on a BA flight to the US in January, but it looks as though my plans are under serious threat.
Cabin staff are threatening to walk out if management impose planned changes to their employment conditions. These changes are to enforce a single onboard management grade, no seniority, promotion purely on merit, and pay set at market rate plus ten per cent.
Apparently, the average pay for a BA crew member is £29,900 a year, including bonuses and allowances, compared with just £14,400 at Virgin Atlantic. Some senior staff are paid more than £60,000 per annum.
BA has reported losses of more than £400m and is in a fight for survival. No doubt I will be switched to Virgin or a US carrier along with thousands of other passengers if a strike is called, with more revenue lost.
Which planet do the staff live on? Perhaps all that time in the air has made them light-headed.
David Lacey, Durham.
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