British Airways Strikes Stopped by High Court

On Monday, British Airways was awarded an injunction by the High Court to halt the strikes planned by cabin crew, which were to start this morning. The airline and its customers were facing more losses and canceled services, during a time when the cloud of volcanic ash continues to close airports.

In court, the carrier argued that Unite didn’t comply with regulations properly in regard to giving all of the details of the ballot’s results to its members who were eligible to vote. Due to this, British Airways insists that the strike is unlawful.

However, Unite national aviation officer Steve Turner says that they did nothing wrong. He says that this is purely a technicality about how they communicated and notified the ballot result to their members, which they believe was in compliance with law.

Justice McCombre refused to give permission to Unite to appeal the decision. However, John Hendy, the lawyer for the union, said that it’s possible their application to appeal will be renewed by the Court of Appeal today.

After the injunction was won, British Airways said that they are happy for their customers that the strikes have been blocked. They are sorry that, due to canceled flights in preparation for the action, some of their passengers have suffered, but they hope to have a full schedule running at Heathrow Airport by the weekend, if the ash cloud permits.

Philip Hammond, the new Transport Secretary, said that he has talked to both Unite and British Airways about getting back to the negotiation table. He wants them to resolve the dispute so that travelers won’t be disrupted and the airline still has a future.