Daily View: British Airways strikes

Clare Spencer|09:11 UK time, Wednesday, 16 December 2009

British Airways plane The British Airways strike prompts commentators to discuss the merits of the action.

The Daily Mail says the strike is bewildering, calling BA workers comparatively lucky considering we're in a recession:

"It's not even as if they're being asked to accept pay freezes or compulsory redundancies, like other workers.
On the contrary, more than 10,000 are being offered pay increases of between 2 and 7 per cent this year and next."

The Times leader column says the British have fallen out of love with BA and calls for the Union Jack to be taken of BA planes:

"So now that the Union Jack on BA's tailfins no longer fills us with pride, it no longer deserves to remain there. It should be swapped for a logo that more accurately reflects how we feel about BA's attitude to its customers. A Jolly Roger, perhaps."

The Independent's leading article tries to be sympathetic towards striking cabin crew but concludes their attempts will be self-defeating:

"But there is one service that air passengers value above all others: reliability. And it is that service which this senseless strike threatens to blow out of the skies."

In the Guardian, the CEO of British Airways Willie Walsh defends the changes in staffing saying his cabin crew are the most expensive in the Industry:

"Given this company's well-advertised financial plight and a protracted recession that has squeezed living standards in every economic sector, we think that this deal is very fair and reasonable."

Despite Willie Walsh writing in the paper, the Guardian editorial defends the decision to strike:

"BA cabin crew are quite right to fight to protect their conditions, which are under serious threat. That was the case even before the recession; the aviation industry has expanded rapidly over the past few years and working conditions on many new budget carriers are, frankly poor. This is a classic race to the bottom, and few workers win those."

Tracey Corrigan in the Telegraph does not like the idea of budget airlines being the only option. She wonders if BA could emerge from this crisis with a new business model:

"Are there enough people like me to create a viable middle-market business model that will work for BA, so that those of us who can afford more than £5 but don't aspire to own a share in a private jet can still experience reasonably civilised travel?"

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