British Airways launched legal action today in a bid to halt a planned 12-day strike by its cabin crew, which threatens travel chaos for a million passengers from next week.
The airline said its move was aimed at protecting its customers from the 'massive stress and disruption' threatened by Unite's decision to call a walkout from December 22 to January 2.
BA wrote to the union highlighting 'irregularities' in its strike ballot, which the company believes renders the ballot invalid.
The airline had urged Unite to call off the industrial action by this afternoon but announced it had not done so, adding that it was now seeking an injunction to prevent the strike going ahead.
British Airways is facing the loss of up to £30m sterling a day because of the Christmas union strike action, a leading aviation analyst warned today.
The planned 12-day cabin crew strike is expected to have a hefty financial impact on BA as flights are grounded and bookings impacted over the peak festive season.
Airline analyst Andrew Fitchie of Collins Stewart estimated the action would cost BA between £10m-30m a day.
The impact would come as a further blow to BA, which is already struggling against recession pressures and a slump in long-haul travel. It reported a record £401m loss in its last financial year and recently posted its first ever interim loss, at £292m for the six months to the end of September.
Over a million passengers face travel misery this year if the strikes go ahead, threatening a repeat of the crippling disruption at Heathrow when fog grounded flights three years ago, leaving passengers stranded over Christmas.
No frills airline EasyJet looks set for a boost from from BA's woes. Mr Fitchie said EasyJet could be in line for extra revenues of £40-60m, with expectations for an additional 400,000 passengers defecting to carrier.
'This is likely to lead to a significant windfall for easyJet, its closest competitor, as well as other airlines who fly in and out of the UK, including Ryanair, Flybe, Lufthansa and Air France,' added Mr Fitchie.
Meanwhile, British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh has called the strike 'senseless'.
'It is very sad that they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case,' he said.
BA shares closed down 2.2% at 196.5p in London.
