BA f lights axed as cabin crew strike – and now you can’t get a free G&T!
‘Fawlty Towers of the sky’
BRITISH Airways short- haul passengers found flights disrupted by a strike yesterday – and then faced a £6 charge for a gin and tonic to calm their nerves once they were on board. Cabin crew were completing a 48-hour walkout over pay, leading to flights being cancelled on the day BA scrapped complimentary snacks and drinks in a switch to no-frills flying.
Economy class passengers must now pay £1.80 for a bottle of water or soft drink, £1 for crisps, £2.30 for tea or coffee, £4 for a beer or £4.50 for wine.
Spirits cost £4.50 with mixers an extra £1.50. Bacon rolls, part of a new range of M&S On Board food, cost £4.75.
Passengers were critical of the new charges. Some declined to pay for food and drink that had traditionally been complimentary while others complained they did not get served. William McGill, 76, who flew from Edinburgh to Heathrow, said: ‘It is only an hour and a half, I am not going to pay for it. They should have kept their free drinks – just as a goodwill gesture.’
Scottish comedian Fred MacAulay, 60, a regular on Radio 4’s The News Quiz, said the charges were ‘another chip away’ at the service provided by BA – and the trolley did not get as far as him, as crew were occupied taking payments from passengers who were served. Swiss financier Heini Beretta said only half the passengers on his flight from Heathrow to Zurich were served, tweeting: ‘BA becomes Fawlty Towers of the sky.’
A BA spokesman said last night: ‘We’ve had some small teething issues on a tiny number of flights. The introduction of M&S On Board is an incredibly complex change to our operation, so we’re pleased with how the roll-out has gone.’
The paid-for service has been introduced on short-haul and domestic flights, 90 per cent of which last three hours or less, from Heathrow and Gatwick. It will be introduced on similar flights from London City and Stansted by summer. Business class customers will continue to be offered a full, complimentary menu.
BA was forced to cancel 48 flights out of around 1,600 to and from Heathrow during the 48-hour strike which ended last night. The airline said customers were put on alternative flights.
The strike over staffing and pay was called by the Unite union, which represents about one in six of BA’s cabin crew.
It involved ‘mixed fleet’ attendants – those who fly both short and long haul – who joined BA since 2010.
Referring to the airline’s new On Board food range, Unite claimed its 2,900 striking members could barely afford to buy M&S food on their ‘poverty pay’ and would be better off working in the store rather than serving its food at 36,000ft.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson said: ‘We would urge M&S to do the right thing and tell British Airways to follow its lead and pay mixed fleet cabin crew a fair and proper living wage.’ Marks & Spencer confirmed it had received a letter from Unite yesterday but added: ‘It’s not something we are going to comment on. It’s a matter for BA.’
BA disputes the union’s claims and says new cabin crew working full-time receive more than £21,000 in wages, allowances, incentive payments and bonuses in their first year.