Flight Chaos At Ba

[Buff-horns]

Flights chaos as BA staff walk out

Tens of thousands of air passengers were hit by travel chaos when a lightning strike by baggage handlers grounded British Airways flights at Heathrow Airport.

The workers walked out in support of fellow union members who were sacked on Wednesday by catering firm Gate Gourmet.

BA suspended flights at terminals 1, 3 and 4 because of the unofficial stoppage by hundreds of baggage handlers, loaders and cargo staff.

The airline would normally operate 550 flights on Thursday, with August being one of the busiest months of the year for the airline industry.

Earlier, flights had left Heathrow but without any food on board, with passengers given vouchers to buy their own beforehand.

Around 800 Gate Gourmet employees were sacked on Wednesday in a row over working practices. Many of them mounted picket lines at Heathrow Airport.

Meanwhile the GMB Union told its workers at Heathrow not to cover for any of the striking workers and expressed strong support for the Gate Gourmet staff.

The dispute escalated when BA began receiving reports that staff in the cargo area of Heathrow's Terminal 1 had stopped work. The action quickly spread to Terminals 3 and 4 and involved baggage handlers and other workers. BA does not operate out of Terminal 2.

Later BA suspended all aircraft movements, leaving thousands of holidaymakers and other travellers stranded at Heathrow.

Frantic behind the scenes moves were under way in a desperate bid to resolve the worsening dispute.

source: ananova.com

[Thomas_Merton]

BA flight disruption helpline: (UK) 0800 727 800

[Rinrada]

According to latest reports all First Class passengers have been given £40 each to buy a sandwich.

Business Class get £30 with Long haul (assume to LOS)..£10 ...but if you are on a short jolly then its a bag of peanuts.........

Expected losses to BA for the "day of no grub" around £40 million.....

BA halts Heathrow flights all day

The chaos was prompted when 600 catering staff were sacked

British Airways has cancelled all flights in and out of Heathrow until Friday evening because of unofficial strike action by ground staff.

Some 70,000 passengers, many of them stranded, will be prevented from travelling until 1800 BST.

BA grounded all flights after hundreds of baggage handlers, ground staff and loaders took unofficial action in support of 600 sacked catering staff.

A further five airlines have been affected by the disruption.

We simply cannot mount a robust operation any earlier

Sir Rod Eddington BA chief executive

These are Sri Lankan Airlines, Finnair, GB Airways, British Mediterranean Airlines and Qantas, which are also serviced by BA ground staff.

Earlier talks with the Transport and General Workers Union aimed at reinstating 600 sacked staff from the caterers that serve BA flights, Gate Gourmet, broke down without agreement.

The catering firm said the door was open, but the union said it could not see a way forward.

Sir Rod said BA was forced to cancel so many flights because it did not have "sufficient airport staff to operate flights into or out of Heathrow".

Some 70,000 passengers are affected by cancellations

Nearly 100 BA aircraft and 1,000 pilots and cabin crew are in the wrong places around the world, he said.

He urged the TGWU to encourage its members "to put our customers first and go back to their work places".

The dispute began when Gate Gourmet dismissed 600 staff after an unofficial strike on Wednesday over the company's restructuring plans.

This led to a shortage of catering supplies on BA flights, and a decision to ground all Thursday's flights and divert 14 inward-bound flights followed.

He urged passengers due to travel on Friday not to turn up at the airport, but to contact the airline or their travel agent to arrange a refund or to rebook their travel plans.

Waiting on pavements

On Thursday, hundreds of confused passengers crammed on to floors inside the Terminal Four departure hall.

And loudspeaker announcements asked anyone not flying to leave the building as staff closed the main doors to prevent overcrowding, leaving hundreds more waiting on the pavements outside.

AFFECTED AIRLINE NUMBERS

British Airways:

0800 727 800

Qantas:

0870 000 0123

Sri Lankan Airlines:

0208 538 2000

Finnair:

0845 758 1111

GB Airways:

0870 850 9850

British Med Airlines:

0870 850 9850

Whatever happens its gonna be long wait for passengers

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