June 28, 2010
The Unite union said on Sunday that it would look to postpone balloting British Airways cabin crew on further strikes to allow union members to consider the latest offer from the airline's management.
BA made a new offer to cabin crew on Friday in a bid to end a long-running dispute over pay and conditions before the employees are formally asked to consider taking further industrial action.
The ballot over future walkouts was scheduled to begin on Tuesday but Unite boss Tony Woodley said in a statement on Sunday that he expected cabin crew representatives to confirm the vote would be delayed to give members the chance to consult on the offer.
"The company has made it clear that the offer on the table will be removed if the strike ballot starts on Tuesday," said Woodley, whose Unite union represents 90 percent of BA's 12,000 cabin crew.
"It would therefore be inexplicable if we did not put this offer to our members and I expect this course of action will be confirmed by our cabin crew representatives when they meet tomorrow."
The new offer from BA includes two years of guaranteed rises in basic salary from February 2011 in addition to annual incremental pay increases.
"We welcome this statement from the Unite leadership. We believe our offer is fair and reasonable and provides a genuine opportunity to end this dispute," BA said in a statement on Sunday.
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
British Airways To Hire Lower Paid Cabin Crew
June 24, 2010
British Airways said it planned to recruit over one thousand new cabin crew on lower wages than current staff as it faces possible further strikes by existing flight attendants in August.
The Unite union, which represents 90 percent of BA's 12,000 cabin staff, criticised the move which would do nothing to end a bitter dispute which has resulted in a series of walkouts.
BA will recruit 1,250 new crew members this year and forecast that in 10 years, staff on the new terms will make up 40 percent of cabin staff.
The airline said it was making the move in light of the losses it has posted over the past two years.
"We have suffered back-to-back record financial losses and need to continue making permanent changes to our cost base to ensure our long-term survival," BA said today.
Existing cabin crew on short-haul flights from Heathrow earn an annual salary of GBP£25,700 (USD$38,490) while crew on long-haul flights from Heathrow earn GBP£35,000 on average. Those on short-haul routes out of Gatwick earn GBP£18,300.
A BA spokesman said the new recruits would work on both short- and long-haul flights and earn a salary "similar to current Gatwick crew."
"Our Heathrow cabin crew costs are way out of line with our competitors and much more than our cabin crew costs at Gatwick. We can no longer afford this cost difference," he said.
THIRD WAVE OF STRIKES
The British airline faces a third wave of industrial action, disrupting the peak summer travel season, after Unite said on Tuesday it would hold a fresh ballot of its cabin crew members.
Crews have walked out for 22 days so far this year, costing the airline around GBP£150 million (USD$220 million).
Unite said the ballot would run from June 29 to July 27, so walkouts could begin on August 3 if voted for.
"This will do nothing to persuade cabin crew that BA management is looking to resolve the dispute, and nothing to dissuade our members from voting for further industrial action," said Unite Joint General Secretary Tony Woodley.
Check with EuropebyAir for cheap fares to Europe and beyond.
British Airways said it planned to recruit over one thousand new cabin crew on lower wages than current staff as it faces possible further strikes by existing flight attendants in August.
The Unite union, which represents 90 percent of BA's 12,000 cabin staff, criticised the move which would do nothing to end a bitter dispute which has resulted in a series of walkouts.
BA will recruit 1,250 new crew members this year and forecast that in 10 years, staff on the new terms will make up 40 percent of cabin staff.
The airline said it was making the move in light of the losses it has posted over the past two years.
"We have suffered back-to-back record financial losses and need to continue making permanent changes to our cost base to ensure our long-term survival," BA said today.
Existing cabin crew on short-haul flights from Heathrow earn an annual salary of GBP£25,700 (USD$38,490) while crew on long-haul flights from Heathrow earn GBP£35,000 on average. Those on short-haul routes out of Gatwick earn GBP£18,300.
A BA spokesman said the new recruits would work on both short- and long-haul flights and earn a salary "similar to current Gatwick crew."
"Our Heathrow cabin crew costs are way out of line with our competitors and much more than our cabin crew costs at Gatwick. We can no longer afford this cost difference," he said.
THIRD WAVE OF STRIKES
The British airline faces a third wave of industrial action, disrupting the peak summer travel season, after Unite said on Tuesday it would hold a fresh ballot of its cabin crew members.
Crews have walked out for 22 days so far this year, costing the airline around GBP£150 million (USD$220 million).
Unite said the ballot would run from June 29 to July 27, so walkouts could begin on August 3 if voted for.
"This will do nothing to persuade cabin crew that BA management is looking to resolve the dispute, and nothing to dissuade our members from voting for further industrial action," said Unite Joint General Secretary Tony Woodley.
Check with EuropebyAir for cheap fares to Europe and beyond.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Europe The Dream Destination
Europe is one of the seven conventional continents of Earth. The western most peninsula of Eurasia, it is surrounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Sea, to the southeast by the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea and the waterways connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean
Europe is a dream destination for travelers worldwide. Travel to Europe wins hands down on several accounts over other popular international travel destinations. The selection for the traveler in a short duration of time and distance is amazing and exclusive to Europe alone. Every province has countries with a rich cultural and political history. You could be attracted to Europe for reasons like the wide-ranging cultural opportunities. It could be the prosperous cultural ancient times and the art scene – with museums, art, literature, theater, cinema or music of countries like France, Germany and England. It could basically be wide-ranging natural beauty that travel in Europe ensures – like the mountains of Switzerland and the Tuscan sun surroundings the beaches of Italy. Be it the lifestyle, architecture, food or languages, Europe enthralls the travelers with its multiculturalism and diversity. A European river cruise brings maritime luxuries to the traveler. Europe is a continent filled with magnificent sights and views. There is a world prominent ice-skating rink for everybody to enjoy in London. There are traditional music concerts preformed in London. In Amsterdam, there is a tram that departs every 20 minutes that can let you move around the city with simplicity. Also, in Amsterdam there is an international casino with a variety of games that may not be accessible in other countries. There is a broad collection of things to do on this enormous continent. Be sure to acquaint yourself with the civilization and laws of the areas that you will be visiting so you know what is predictable. Leave a copy of your passport with your family or friends for emergencies. And most of all check with EuropebyAir for the best fares....
Europe is a dream destination for travelers worldwide. Travel to Europe wins hands down on several accounts over other popular international travel destinations. The selection for the traveler in a short duration of time and distance is amazing and exclusive to Europe alone. Every province has countries with a rich cultural and political history. You could be attracted to Europe for reasons like the wide-ranging cultural opportunities. It could be the prosperous cultural ancient times and the art scene – with museums, art, literature, theater, cinema or music of countries like France, Germany and England. It could basically be wide-ranging natural beauty that travel in Europe ensures – like the mountains of Switzerland and the Tuscan sun surroundings the beaches of Italy. Be it the lifestyle, architecture, food or languages, Europe enthralls the travelers with its multiculturalism and diversity. A European river cruise brings maritime luxuries to the traveler. Europe is a continent filled with magnificent sights and views. There is a world prominent ice-skating rink for everybody to enjoy in London. There are traditional music concerts preformed in London. In Amsterdam, there is a tram that departs every 20 minutes that can let you move around the city with simplicity. Also, in Amsterdam there is an international casino with a variety of games that may not be accessible in other countries. There is a broad collection of things to do on this enormous continent. Be sure to acquaint yourself with the civilization and laws of the areas that you will be visiting so you know what is predictable. Leave a copy of your passport with your family or friends for emergencies. And most of all check with EuropebyAir for the best fares....
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Osama Bin Laden gets a boarding pass from British Airways
The name of international terrorist and fugitive Al Qaeda boss Osama Bin Laden has surfaced in an unlikely spot, and apparently he's flying British Airways first class to Washington.
It seems that somebody in London with a bad sense of humor is causing the U.K. airline a bit of a headache after inserting a graphic of a boarding pass bearing bin Laden's name into a company-run magazine.
A cover story in LHR News -- a British Airways staff magazine covering London's Heathrow Airport -- about a new service allowing passengers to download paperless boarding passes to their iPhones includes close-up cover photo a white boarding pass emblazoned with the name "Bin Laden/Osama."
Apparently bin Laden likes to fly -- or at least knows the value of loyalty -- because the boarding pass features a frequent flier number. And don't worry about his leg room. The world's most-wanted man is apparently flying pretty up in first class, seat 7C.
It is unclear how the name of the leader of al Qaeda, the organization responsible for enlisting the Sept. 11 hijackers to steal commercial planes, got on the faux British Airways boarding pass. The company acknowledged that the magazine graphic was a mistake and said it is investigating the its source.
Article by SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
A cover story in LHR News -- a British Airways staff magazine covering London's Heathrow Airport -- about a new service allowing passengers to download paperless boarding passes to their iPhones includes close-up cover photo a white boarding pass emblazoned with the name "Bin Laden/Osama."
Apparently bin Laden likes to fly -- or at least knows the value of loyalty -- because the boarding pass features a frequent flier number. And don't worry about his leg room. The world's most-wanted man is apparently flying pretty up in first class, seat 7C.
It is unclear how the name of the leader of al Qaeda, the organization responsible for enlisting the Sept. 11 hijackers to steal commercial planes, got on the faux British Airways boarding pass. The company acknowledged that the magazine graphic was a mistake and said it is investigating the its source.
Article by SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
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