Posted on 08/12/2005 1:27:08 AM PDT by bd476
LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of passengers were stranded for a second day at Britain's biggest airport on Friday as wildcat strikes forced British Airways to cancel its flights during the peak summer holiday season.
Europe's third-largest airline said there would be no British Airways (BA) flights at London's Heathrow airport until at least 1700 GMT but did not elaborate on how the strikes by baggage handlers and other ground staff would be overcome.
"Our message to customers is don't come to the airport today," spokesman Richard Goodfellow told Reuters. "We're very sorry and doing all we can to look after customers at Heathrow."
Shares in the company fell 1.8 percent in early trade to 287 pence. Traders differed over how much further they may decline.
"The airline themselves aren't actually even coming out with any ideas of how much the strike is going to hurt them on top of the increase in oil prices so we're not actually making any call on price at the moment but it will be down and I would say quite heftily," said Matt Buckland of financial bookmakers CMC Group.
BA said about 1,000 of its baggage handlers, bus drivers and other staff stopped work on Thursday in support of hundreds of workers sacked this week by a catering firm that provides the airline's in-flight meals.
Other airlines faced knock-on disruption at the world's busiest international airport. Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd., Finnish national carrier Finnair, Sri Lankan Airlines, GB Airlines and British Mediterranean Airlines were affected.
"There is clearly going to be significant disruption today and probably for several days to come," Nick Temple, the managing director of Heathrow Airport, told BBC Radio 4...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I'm never flying British Airways again. Richard Branson gained another customer.
Regards, Ivan
Why is it BA's fault?
Looks to me that it's just another union trying to hold everyone hostage. I hope BA sticks it out.
If this was the first time that BA had problems with the unions, I would be more sympathetic. However they have not straightened out their industrial relations (and crushed the unions) in a way that other airlines have.
Regards, Ivan
people needed mommy their first few years, eventually they get on without her
I thought "wildcat" strikes were non-union members who go out on strike. Aren't these union employees who are out?
Easily solved. Carry-on baggage only.
Exactly.
Margaret Thatcher .. paging Margaret Thatcher ...
Or failing that: Supernanny. Paging Supernanny ...
Time to send all these wildcats to the naughty chair!
I fly BA because I like their service, their security check-in and their airplanes. I'm going to buy trip insurance next time, though.
Gate Gourmet whose employees were sacked causing this to avalanche is owned by Texas Pacific Group, a privately held fiem whose managing partner is David Bonderman, a huge contributor to the Democraps.
Will the media say anything about this? The BBC?
Not likely.
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