Flight Attendants Threaten British Air Strike

Thousands of flight attendants at British Airways prepared to strike the carrier for three days next week, as the two sides came to no agreement about further negotiations. Transport & General Workers Union leader Bill Morris said he called the strike after phoning British Airways Chief Executive Bob Ayling to seek further discussions in the pay dispute, but got no response. BA later issued a statement saying Ayling had written to the union to ask about “involving someone from outside” in the dispute. But the airline did not specify when or even whether Ayling’s letter had been delivered. There was no immediate response from the union. British Airways had previously said it would keep flying if the union representing 8,500 of its flight attendants made good on its threat to strike. Members of the British Airline Stewards and Stewardesses Assn., which is part of the Transport & General Workers Union, are unhappy with a pay offer from the company. They approved a walkout last month. A date for the strike was not immediately set, but the British news agency Press Association said the walkout is expected to begin July 9.