British Airways reaches union accord to avoid further summer of chaos       

The European aviation industry has suffered unprecedented bottlenecks and long check-in lines at airports from Heathrow to Brussels to Dusseldorf and Dublin.

British Airways reached an agreement with check-in employees to head off a strike that threatened further disruption after the carrier scrapped thousands of flights amid a staffing crunch.

The Unite and GMB unions said they’ll ballot members on the proposed offer, which includes higher pay. Workers got “close” to what they were seeking, which was a reversal of the 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic, according to a person familiar with the deliberations. 

In a sign that the aviation industry is urgently trying to overcome the chaos, the operator of the French capital’s major airports also reached an agreement on Thursday with firefighters that averts further strikes. Union action at the Charles de Gaulle airport, the country’s biggest international hub, had caused major flight delays and cancellations in recent weeks.

The European aviation industry has suffered unprecedented bottlenecks and long check-in lines at airports from Heathrow to Brussels to Dusseldorf and Dublin. The disruptions have been brought on by a blend of labour disputes, staffing shortages and cost cuts during the pandemic that are now coming back to haunt airlines, just as travel roars back for the busy summer period.

The threat of a strike by check-in workers at London Heathrow Airport had raised concerns that labor trouble might spread to other groups of British Airways workers. Shares of IAG, which owns British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Vueling, closed 3.5% higher. Air France-KLM closed over 4% higher. 

“We are very pleased that, following collaboration with the unions, they have decided not to issue dates for industrial action,” British Airways said in a statement. “This is great news for our customers and our people.” 

A spokeswoman for the GMB union said the agreement “broadly resolves” the issue of the 10% pay cut as well as establishing an effective basis for any future negotiations. “There will always be discussions about pay in the future, but that’s for another day,” she said.

British Airways has been among the carriers hardest hit by a staffing shortfall that’s being felt across Europe, after dismissing 10,000 workers at the peak of the Covid pandemic. 

The airline said this week it would cancel another 10,300 flights through the summer season, taking the total cancellations from April to close to 30,000 flights. 

Bloomberg