BA in crunch talks over strike February 28, 2010 British Airways (BA) is engaged in crunch talks with its staff as the threat of an Easter strike looms. Both sides have made allegations of harassment over comments that were made on Facebook by staff. BA suspended 15 flight attendants after a list of pilots who refused to back strike action were listed on the [...]
THE TIPSTER February 28, 2010 Oil continues to struggle around the $80 mark, after weak economic data in the UK. If western economies stall then demand for crude oil will fall, which will lead to lower prices. Another factor that could weigh on the oil price is weak employment figures in the US. As we approach the summer driving season, [...]
Luxury comes to Abu Dhabi’s glorious desert February 28, 2010 THE Liwa Desert is in the area known as the Empty Quarter, and is the largest uninterrupted stretch of desert in the world. This vast area, which extends into the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, was made famous through the adventures of the late British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger who wrote about [...]
Iberia bets on BA merger as it reveals record losses February 25, 2010 SPANISH airline Iberia posted a record operating loss yesterday, hit by declining air travel and underscoring challenges facing the industry as the airline seeks shelter in a merger with British Airways. “This market has changed for good. Traditional airlines as we know them will disappear, but we’re not crying here,” Iberia chairman Antonio Vazquez said. [...]
Donations to Tories dwarf Labour February 24, 2010 THE Tories will fight the next election with a huge war chest of cash, after raking in twice as much as Labour in donations. David Cameron’s party reported donations totalling £10.5m in the last three months of 2009, dwarfing the £4.9m raised by Labour. Sir Nigel Doughty, founder of private equity house Doughty Hanson & [...]
Microsoft bags the top spot in brand contest February 24, 2010 Microsoft pulled off a rare coup against its deadly rival Google yesterday when it was named the strongest business brand. Google finished fifth after a surprise fall in the rankings, behind Rolls-Royce, and BlackBerry, in the Business Superbrand Top 500 survey. The internet giant held the top spot in 2008 and 2009. Microsoft came second [...]
British Airways cabin crew vote for strike February 22, 2010 BRITISH Airways (BA) cabin crew have voted in favour of industrial action over pay and conditions. According to the Unite Union, which represents the 12,000 crew, 81 per cent of the 9,000 who returned ballots voted in favour of a strike. Unite assistant general secretary Len McCluskey said: “With this overwhelming vote in the teeth [...]
BA staff can’t resist change for ever February 22, 2010 WHAT a shame British Airways’ cabin crew has voted to strike. Willie Walsh, the firm’s chief, is doing a good job in extremely tough conditions to take out costs and ensure the airline will still be with us in five years’ time – yet some of his staff still seem to believe that it is [...]
Gatwick sale stings as BAA loses £822m February 22, 2010 THE pressured sale of Gatwick airport has left a bitter taste for BAA, which saw its full-year pre-tax loss more than double to £822m yesterday. A £277.3m writedown related to the £1.5bn offloading of Gatwick to Global Infrastructure Partners was a big contributor to the slump at the airport operator. The transaction, which was completed [...]
Union loses legal scrap with BA February 19, 2010 THE Unite union has failed in a High Court action against British Airways over a shake-up up in the way they work. It claimed the changes – including freezing pay and cutting crew on long-haul flights – were introduced without consultation. The union had been set to strike over the issues over Christmas, but a [...]