Cathay Pacific approached to operate BA flights during BA Cabin Crew strike

[Harbour Dweller]

Currently being discussed in Fragrant Harbour forum

Cathay to Operate BA flights
CX will wet lease 1 x 744 to BA commencing this weekend for 14 days.
The aircraft will operate as Speedbird 25 LHR-HKG-LHR.
BA wanted 2 jets but CX can only 'help out' with 1.

[Airbubba]

Yep, I remember United sent crews to Oz to help out during the AFAP mass resignation in 1989 until someone called them on it.

[Bus429]

Actually, Airbubba, quite a few UK operators sent aircraft and crews to Australia then.
(I still remember that long night in Karnia trying to fix that bleed leak indication that grounded you there about 10 years ago ).

[Old Fella]

Wet Leases

At least BA have wet leased an aircraft rather than have their government call in the military, unlike the Great Yobbo Bob Hawke.

[seat 0A]

Doesn`t Unite have any mutual assistance agreements with their fellow unions abroad?
If BALPA called for a legal strike, I`m sure that BA would have a hard time to find any wet- or drylease aircraft available anywhere

[stator vane]

who else has agreed?

a news article said 40 airlines!

i wonder if mine is one of them?

stansted base with a slight touch of blue and white.

[Tyrekicker2]

So what's the big deal? BA leases, charters whatever it can find with wings to keep the flights going during the strike. It is costing them a lot of money to do that and a lot of effort and inconvenience. But what it is doing is making sure that whenever the strike is finally resolved, there is a job to come back to. This idea of everyone else having to support the strike is 1960s thinking . Let a few other companies benefit from extra revenue during these hard times at BA's cost.

[Fubaar]

I wonder why BA feel the need to look as far afield as CX? If the Brit charter airline pilots repeat their valiant efforts with the same alacrity as they did in tearing off to Oz in 1989 without even attempting to hide their utter glee to be screwing the careers of fellow pilots, they'll be positively tripping over themselves to do the same to 'mere' cabin crew.

Or was 1989 a 'colonial' thing that they wouldn't consider doing to 'their own'? Myself, I think not. There have always been those among us who seem to relish eating their young.

This idea of everyone else having to support the strike is 1960s thinking.

...as was having a job in the aviation industry that was worth having. (Spoken like a true 'hero', Tyrekicker.)

[B772]

Fubaar. I would have thought it was obvious to most that CX would be approached if an operation HKG-LHR-HKG was required.

[sleeper]

Not just far afield.
Transavia and Arkefly have also been approached to fly for BA

[sb_sfo]

Fubaar

Not to mention that it keeps the revenue in the oneWorld alliance?

[CargoOne]

Fubaar

I wonder why BA feel the need to look as far afield as CX? If the Brit charter airline pilots repeat their valiant efforts with the same alacrity as they did in tearing off to Oz in 1989 without even attempting to hide their utter glee to be screwing the careers of fellow pilots, they'll be positively tripping over themselves to do the same to 'mere' cabin crew.

The problem is getting 3-class aircraft. Those are almost exclusively in major airline fleets (or stored, which makes it uneconimical to re-active for short period only). Charter and ACMI airlines only have 1-class charter configs, some have 2-class with a small number of old-style C-class seats. So it is quite understandable BA is looking to get some other majors to operate at least most lucrative routes.

Anyway one aircraft cannot cover daily LHR-HKG-LHR, so there will be some lottery for those who paid 5-10k quid for their C or F tickets.

[MarkD]

At least BA have wet leased an aircraft rather than have their government call in the military, unlike the Great Yobbo Bob Hawke.

The British Government doesn't have military transport to call in - that's the main difference. The public might accept Green Goddesses for firefighting but they sure as hell won't get on a VC10 once MOL starts running ads about them!

[er340790]

but they sure as hell won't get on a VC10

JUST TRY ME!!!

[WindSheer]

You have got to side with BA on all this.

They are trying to bring their crew down a peg or two......

[Panop]

A little off track, but for the record, the RAAF wasn't exactly flush with quality passenger transports either in 1989. Their contribution was a few C-130s which SLFs filled up with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Methinks a VC10 even in its dotage would be sheer luxury in comparison.

[Dairyground]

Unite - the unUnion?

Seat 0A

Doesn`t Unite have any mutual assistance agreements with their fellow unions abroad?
If BALPA called for a legal strike, I`m sure that BA would have a hard time to find any wet- or drylease aircraft available anywhere

Anyone who cares to wade through 160 or so pages about the dispute on the cabin crew forum will find that the cabin crew represented by the BASSA element of Unite don't even have much support among Unite members working in other parts of the company.

[UFGBOY]

Air Atlanta

Surprised they havn't been approached for extra capacity ?

[silverstreak]

BA leasing-in from following to cover 1st round of proposed strikes

Jet2, Titan, Astraeus, Transavia, Viking, EuroAtlantic and Arkefly...

[CargoOne]

MTOW

B772 and Cargo One, I think you'll find that Fubaar's tongue was firmly in his cheek and the point he was trying to make very much elsewhere than appropriate seating configurations when he asked why BA would look to Cathay for strike-"mitigating" aircraft and crew.

Well I sometimes can miss the things (not my native language), but I don't see anything wrong with CX to spare their aircraft & crew to BA. That's business, nothing personal.