08-12-2005, 09:56 PM
<b>BA flights resume amid crippling strike</b>
British Airways said it had resumed flights at Heathrow Airport on Friday as it tries to work through a crippling dispute that has grounded more than 100,000 of its passengers during the peak summer holiday season.
A BA franchise airline flight bound for Casablanca in Morocco left Heathrow shortly before 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) ahead of 30 other international and short-haul evening flights, a BA spokeswoman told Reuters.
Mike Street, the airline's director of customer services and operations, said BA faced a complex logistical challenge, with at least 100 aircraft and 1,000 flying crew in the wrong place.
"As a result it will take some time to return to a normal flying programme. We recognise how frustrating this must be, but we are working as hard as we can to get customers away on their holidays," he said.
The resumption of flights at Heathrow came shortly after around 1,000 BA staff, who walked out on Thursday in support of workers sacked at a catering supplier, returned to work.
Arbitrator ACAS began talks during the afternoon with the union and the catering supplier, Gate Gourmet.
"This is not our dispute. Our customers come first, and everyone involved in creating this unofficial situation must come to their senses," BA Chief Executive Rod Eddington said.
Around 100,000 passengers fly daily with BA during August, and about two-thirds of its flights, excluding franchises, use Heathrow, the world's busiest international hub
<b>Reuters.com</b>
British Airways said it had resumed flights at Heathrow Airport on Friday as it tries to work through a crippling dispute that has grounded more than 100,000 of its passengers during the peak summer holiday season.
A BA franchise airline flight bound for Casablanca in Morocco left Heathrow shortly before 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) ahead of 30 other international and short-haul evening flights, a BA spokeswoman told Reuters.
Mike Street, the airline's director of customer services and operations, said BA faced a complex logistical challenge, with at least 100 aircraft and 1,000 flying crew in the wrong place.
"As a result it will take some time to return to a normal flying programme. We recognise how frustrating this must be, but we are working as hard as we can to get customers away on their holidays," he said.
The resumption of flights at Heathrow came shortly after around 1,000 BA staff, who walked out on Thursday in support of workers sacked at a catering supplier, returned to work.
Arbitrator ACAS began talks during the afternoon with the union and the catering supplier, Gate Gourmet.
"This is not our dispute. Our customers come first, and everyone involved in creating this unofficial situation must come to their senses," BA Chief Executive Rod Eddington said.
Around 100,000 passengers fly daily with BA during August, and about two-thirds of its flights, excluding franchises, use Heathrow, the world's busiest international hub
<b>Reuters.com</b>