BA cabin crew in Christmas strike

British Airways cabin crew have voted in favour of strike action which is scheduled to take place over the busy Christmas period.

The 12 day strike action will last from December 22^nd till January 2^nd 2010. Following a dispute over job cuts and changes to staff contracts, 80% of cabin crew voted in favour of the action, at a ratio of nine to one.

BA's chief executive Willie Walsh has criticised the “cynical” decision which showed "a lack of concern” for BA’s customers, stating: “British Airways’ cabin crew are already the best rewarded in the UK airline industry.”

Len McCluskey, a spokesman for the Unite union, said: "It goes without saying that we have taken this decision to disrupt passengers and customers over the Christmas period with a heavy heart."

The union has left an open door for BA to negotiate at anytime in the run up to the strike. In the meantime, the airline has offered passengers who have booked flights during the strike, the chance to rebook at no extra cost. BA is currently reworking all of their Christmas flight schedules for the strike period and aim to announce them as quickly as possible.