I am amazed to read that the day to day operation of BA aircraft is over looked by cabin crew members (union rep's) who can over ride decisions made by anyone else in the airline that can result in services being delayed or even cancelled because they have one crew member short for whomever's reason that may be.
It may not be the fault of the airline or the staff member if staff fail to turn up for work and all the standby crew have been used. That must be expected to happen from time to time when road accidents and weather conditions occur.
I fully agree that when agreements are made between a company and a union they should work within those agreement. However, as aircraft operations are subject to weather conditions it is surprising absolutely zero flexibility is allowed on the side of the union which severely disrupts the travel plans of the customers.
My understanding from a fellow passenger who sat next to me last week is that a lot of long haul BA crew live abroad and commute to work. That surely must put the operation at risk if they get delayed themselves through no seats being available for them or the aircraft is delayed. This is particularly noticeable on the Nice route which I use several times a month.
It is hard to believe aircraft can be ordered to divert because the cabin crew are appoaching their maximum duty periods but still within legal limits. I do not think BA passengers on the flight mentioned were exactly delighted to end up somewhere they did not want to be, not to mention the cost to the airline.
Obviously there is more to this industrial dispute than meets the eyes of those not within by BA. Could it be power?
Last edited by Jpax; 24th Nov 2009 at 11:50.