BA strikes fuelling resentment

FOR Scots families planning to take holidays during approaching school mid-term breaks, the latest round of BA cabin crew strikes will seem perverse to the point of malicious. As for BA itself, it faces being brought to its knees after huge losses suffered as a result of disruption caused by volcanic ash clouds. Now a month of disruption lies ahead after cabin crew announced 20 more days of strikes beginning next Tuesday and stretching into June.

Domestic flights between Heathrow and Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen stand to be hit hard, so the strike action will be bitterly resented by those who have planned holiday breaks. For the airline, it portends trouble far beyond the immediate loss of revenues on the strike days. On top of all the problems – and huge losses – the airline has had in recent weeks, this will further damage the public's confidence in the reliability of BA when making travel arrangements of any sort. The choice now facing its senior management is deeply unpalatable: give in to the striking staff and face a crippling loss of authority, or seek to hold out while revenue, reputation and custom drain away.

That the strike may also be seen as a pace-setter for looming public sector action over spending cuts only adds to the sense of a country fast losing its grip on financial realities.