I am a member of Flight Crew and believe that flight crew and cabin crew need to have a union to protect them.
During the snow disruption a few weeks ago many crew had difficulty getting to the airport. A BA Toronto flight dispatched from Heathrow with the First Class section closed down due to a shortage of cabin crew. This happens sometimes, particularly if there are no First Class passengers booked.
On the return flight, ex Toronto, First Class was fully booked with full fare passengers, as was Club. But there was a problem with how to operate the service with the shortage of cabin crew. Then a passenger who was a BA cabin crew member offered to operate. This opportunity was jumped at by the YYZ ground staff as a way to operate with a First Class section. Phone calls were made but BASSA was adamant that because the flight had operated ex LHR with a closed First Class section it would have to operate back to LHR with a closed First Class section regardless of how many cabin crew were on board.
Consequently all First Class Passengers were put in Club, some Club passengers were downgraded. The loss of revenue to BA was estimated at £40-60,000. On top of this there would have been considerable admin involved in refunds and letters at a time when there was already major disruption.
To any fair minded person this utter inflexibility of BASSA is akin to industrial sabotage. BASSA deprived BA of significant premium revenue and alienated passengers. There was no gain to anybody. This is not what people join a union for. In times of extremes, whether it be disruption, 911, or weather, companies need some flexibility. Yet BA have their hands tied by BASSA making it very difficult to compete profitably with other airlines. It is time BASSA changed.