BA pilot talks collapse
10 March 2008The threat of a pilot strike is once again hanging over British Airways (BA) after talks between the airline and its pilots' union broke down.
BA said that the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) had "chosen to walk away" from the talks, which were being led by a conciliation service, and said it was disappointed at the development.
The airline stressed that it does not want a conflict with its pilots and said that it is still possible for a peaceful resolution to be reached.
It warned, however, that a strike would cause "massive disruption" to its services, potentially leading to many people relying on their travel insurance.
The dispute between BA and Balpa centres around the airline's plans to launch BA OpenSkies, a subsidiary carrier that will operate between Europe and the United States.
Balpa claims that staff with the new operator will be hired on inferior terms to those of existing workers, but BA argues that the competition in the market would make it impossible to match existing conditions with the new venture.
The airline said that if strike dates were issued it would seek a court injunction to prevent pilots taking industrial action and causing services from grinding to a halt.