BA Is Shite

BA Is Shite

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The latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline.

Tuesday 27 July 2010

BA Strike Update - Unite To Sue

Unite has announced that it will take legal action against BA over the removal of travel concessions from cabin crew who have been on strike.

Seemingly the core of their case will be that travel perks are a "human right", and that to remove the perks breaches the EU's human rights legislation!

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.

Tuesday 20 July 2010

BA Strike Update - Union Votes To Continue

British Airways cabin crew have voted, albeit in a low turnout of less than 50%, to reject BA's latest pay offer by 3,419 votes to 1,686.

This means that there will be more strikes, even though technically less than 50% of the union have voted in favour of continuing strike action.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.

Saturday 17 July 2010

BA Strike Update - A Summer of Chaos

I see that, aside from the problems caused by the ongoing BA strikes, hapless air travellers may also be subjected to further misery as a result of possible strikes to undertaken by employees of British Airports Authority (BAA) this summer.

Whilst these two disputes may, at first glance, seem to be unconnected it should be noted that the union that is stirring up the BAA workers is in fact Unite (the very same union leading the BA strike action).

Coincidence?

No, this is in fact Unite opening a second front.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.

Wednesday 14 July 2010

BA Strike Update - BA Encounters Turbulence

Yesterday's BA AGM was a somewhat turbulent affair; as, unsurprisingly, the subject of the strike dominated the proceedings.

During the 3 hour meeting, Willie Walsh expressed his frustrations at being compared to Hitler and the devil.

He was jeered by the crew members; who accused the management of "bullying", engendering a culture of "fear and loathing" and "damaging the BA brand".

It is doubtful as to whether the investors, and indeed hapless customers, are impressed by either the company or the strikers.

This is a power struggle which may be won, eventually, by one side. However, it will be at the cost of the brand and a large number of jobs.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.

Monday 12 July 2010

BA Strike Update - BAA Numbers Down

The UK airport operator, BAA, has experienced a fall of 1.7% in the number of passengers using its airports in June (compared with June 2009).

BAA blame the ongoing BA strike for this fall, rather than the fact that the airports are truly dismal places and that people do not enjoy using them or flying.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.

Thursday 8 July 2010

Flights Guaranteed

Willie Walsh has told Il Sole 24 Ore that, in the event of another strike, 100% of flights will be guaranteed. He added that "British (Airways) will not only not lose money it will end up saving.

Walsh said that flight personnel costs had been cut by 45%.

"In terms of annual savings the benefit to the company is £65M per year."

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.

Thursday 1 July 2010

BA Strike Update - Not A Happy Place

From the Guardian:

"BA will struggle to weather the fallout from this bitter dispute. Our brand, our reputation and our integrity as an employer have all been damaged – indeed continue to be damaged – as this dispute rolls on with no sign of a resolution or closure. The road ahead will be fraught with challenges – challenges that we will all have to deal with. It will be an uphill struggle and it will not be easy.

Those BA staff who have chosen to volunteer as cabin crew have unwittingly prolonged this dispute and, in all probability, hastened their own demise. Their actions have allowed BA to keep flying rather than to reach a negotiated settlement.

As Unite prepares for another ballot and, in all probability, more industrial action, many managers are trawling through employment websites, desperate to find anything that will enable them to leave the bedlam that is now BA.

For anyone who really wants to understand what it is like to work for the world's favourite airline, I would suggest reading George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.
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www.baisshite.com the latest news and views on British Airways, the world's "favourite" airline. This site contains updates on the ongoing strike action, and dispute between BA and Unite.