... and BA cabin crew kick it off by going on strike for 2 weeks

FAMILY holidays are under threat after British Airways cabin crew announced a two-week strike starting on July 1.

The industrial action, announced by the Unite union, is part of a long-running dispute over pay and benefits. The strike will further damage the reputation of the airline after the recent computer meltdown that ruined the travel plans of thousands of passengers – and cost BA at least £80million in compensation and lost sales.

The current row surrounds a decision by BA to impose sanctions on staff who took part in previous industrial action, cutting their bonus payments and removing staff travel concessions.

Unite assistant general secretary Howard Beckett said they called the strike after BA bosses ‘refused to meaningfully consider our compromise offer’ on the issue. Unite said it will ‘vigorously’ pursue legal action against BA on behalf of the 1,400 cabin crew affected.

But BA said the strike action was ‘extreme and completely unnecessary’. A spokesman said they had reached a deal with Unite on pay and that the union had confirmed it is pursuing the non-pay issues in the courts. The airline also insisted it will be able to maintain services during the strike.

There have been 26 days of strike action by BA staff since the start of the year.