Walsh: BA will fly all planes
WILLIE WALSH, British Airways (BA) chief executive, has vowed the airline will not lose money if there is a third strike by cabin crew after guaranteeing that 100 per cent of flights will be in operation.
“If in case of a strike 100 per cent of flights will, as we believe, be guaranteed, British Airways will not only not lose money it will end up saving,” said Walsh yesterday.
During the last strike, BA lost more than £150m equating to a loss of up to £70m a day.
Walsh’s promise comes as cabin crew are currently voting on whether to accept a new pay package proposed by BA management, with hopes that a third strike this summer will not become a reality.
It is expected that the ballot, which is administered by trade union Unite, will take up to two weeks to complete but still presents uncertainty over whether crew will accept the offer.
Unite said that it will not make recommendations to members on how they should vote, a move that has been widely welcomed by BA.
But Walsh said that the days when trade unions could ground airway companies were gone.
BA, which had been hit particularly hard by the credit crunch, cut its flight capacity by roughly 10 per cent, while flight personnel costs had been cut by 45 per cent.
“In terms of annual savings the benefit to the company is £65m per year. For now,” said Walsh.