Yesterday, Grant wrote about the possibility of “industrial action” on British Airways over the holiday season. The union that represents the cabin crew has scheduled the strike for December 22nd till January 2nd – quite possibly the worst possible time of year.
As an air passenger, I don’t care what their demands are, walking off the job this time of year hurts the passengers more than anyone else, and will most certainly create friction between passengers and cabin crew in the future.
Thankfully, Virgin Atlantic is coming to the rescue of passengers who may become stranded by the upcoming strike. On several routes, Virgin has switched planes to the larger Airbus A340-600, allowing an extra 68 passengers on board.
As with a lot of things Virgin does, this move is a bit of good PR, but in a period when people are trying to get to visit their family, every available seat can help. The extra seats go on sale today, and will probably sell out quickly. The additional seats have been added to routes serving New York (Newark), Boston, Washington and Delhi.
British Airways is trying to prevent the strike through legal action, but from looking at past strikes, chances are the entire airline really will be shut down in 6 days.