BA grounds more flights due to strike

British Airways has cancelled three further flights from Dubai ahead of another round of strikes disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of passengers.

British Airways has cancelled three further flights from Dubai ahead of another round of strikes by disgruntled cabin crew beginning tomorrow, disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of passengers. The London-bound flights, BA108 on March 29, and BA106 on March 30 and 31 will be cancelled, the airline has confirmed. Each flight carries as many as 192 passengers. British Airways has been battling to get its flights airborne during the busy Easter holiday period amid a cabin crew walkout. After a three-day strike last week, the cabin crew's union, Unite, has announced further industrial action between tomorrow and March 30 as a bitter dispute over a freeze in pay and working conditions rolls on.

Some flights on March 31 have also been cancelled "as the airline get their aircraft, pilots and cabin crew back into the correct positions around the world", said a BA spokeswoman. "We have pro-actively contacted customers whose flights have been affected, and they have either been rebooked for future dates, rerouted, booked on other airlines or refunded," she said. Despite the walk-out British Airways said it expects to operate 55 per cent of its short-haul flights and 70 per cent of long-haul trips from Heathrow Airport over the period. It has managed to reinstate some previously cancelled flights after more crew than expected turned up for work.

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