British Airways says a 48-hour strike by its largest union has been cancelled, although it still expects disruptions for thousands of passengers this week.
'British Airways today welcomed the decision by the cabin crew branch of the Transport and General Workers' Union to call off the strikes scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday and for two 72-hour periods next month,' the airline said in a statement.
But it added that the decision had come too late to prevent disruption to the travel plans of thousands of its customers tomorrow and Wednesday.
The airline said it would try to reinstate as many flights as possible on those days.
BA had been ready to cancel some 1,300 flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving just a fraction of its operations in service.
The dispute with the union centred on BA's sick-leave policy and its two pay scales for cabin staff.
BA says cabin crew were taking an average of 22 sick days per year before Chief Executive Willie Walsh took charge in October 2005 and that under a new absence policy the figure has fallen to 12 days.
