UK & World News
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
BA reinstating cancelled flights
03:05, Mar 21 2010
Strike-hit British Airways is reinstating a number of cancelled flights as the airline fights a war of words with union leaders over the walkout's success.
BA claimed 1,157 cabin crew ignored the first day of the three-day stoppage on Saturday and reported for duty - equivalent to 97% of Gatwick crew and 52.5% of Heathrow crew.
But Unite insisted 80% of its 12,000 members supported the action, dozens of planes were grounded and the carrier's contingency plans were failing.
The political heat on Gordon Brown was also stepped up, with the Conservatives releasing a new advert depicting the Prime Minister as a pilot, wearing a Unite cap and bearing the message: "Gordon's Doing Sweet BA."
BA described Unite's claims as "rubbish", and said it had reinstated some long-haul flights this weekend because more staff had worked, including services to Miami, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, JFK in New York and Cape Town.
The carrier said Saturday got off to a "good start" with its contingency plans, adding later that because 50% of cabin crew had turned up at Heathrow, it was moving to reinstate some short and long-haul flights.
BA said it was confident of handling as many as 49,000 passengers on Sunday, which compares with a figure of around 75,000 for a normal weekend day in March.
And in a video message on BA's website, chief executive Willie Walsh said his contingency plans had worked "very well". He added: "We are doing better than we have expected. We have been able to operate every flight we planned, and indeed have been able to operate a couple of extra flights."
But Unite claimed a number of planes were stacked up at airports as a result of the strike, including 85 parked planes at Heathrow, 20 at Cardiff and 20 in Shannon.
A Unite spokesman added: "The support we are getting shows how strongly people feel about this and is in spite of the bullying by management. Willie Walsh's appeal for people to cross our picket lines has obviously not worked."
Romney returns to winning ways 00:05, Feb 12 2012
Mitt Romney has won the Maine caucuses by a slim margin, giving him a much needed boost following losses in three other contests in the past week, Maine Republican Party chairman Charlie Webster said. more
Salmond insists on no-strings poll 00:05, Feb 12 2012
Alex Salmond has again insisted that plans for an independence referendum must have "no strings attached" from Westminster. more
Call to embrace community energy 00:05, Feb 12 2012
The Government must overhaul the "closed shop" energy market by embracing community schemes, according to a new report. more
PM quashes Lansley speculation 00:05, Feb 12 2012
David Cameron has sought to quash speculation over the survival of health secretary Andrew Lansley and his controversial NHS shake-up. more
PM 'plans football racism summit' 00:05, Feb 12 2012
David Cameron is expected to step into the row over racism in football by staging a Downing Street summit on the issue. more
Anger over marriage tax breaks 00:05, Feb 12 2012
George Osborne has infuriated Tory MPs by reportedly ruling out tax breaks for married couples in the Budget. more
Murdoch expected in wake of arrests 22:05, Feb 11 2012
Rupert Murdoch is expected to fly to London next week after reassuring staff he would not sell The Sun in the wake of a second wave of arrests at the newspaper. more
Man charged with stabbing murder 21:05, Feb 11 2012
A man has been charged with murder after another man was stabbed to death on, police said. more
Protesters show Syria solidarity 19:05, Feb 11 2012
Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered in London in a show of solidarity with protesters across the Middle East and North Africa. more
Six bailed in corruption probe 19:05, Feb 11 2012
Six people arrested as part of an investigation into allegations of corruption have been released on bail, Scotland Yard said. more
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
