British Airways cancels all flights at Heathrow

Nothing important:


Thousands stranded in air chaos
Thousands of passengers remain stranded at Heathrow airport after a wildcat strike by catering staff led British Airways to ground all its flights.
BA baggage handlers and other ground staff have walked out in support of workers at Gate Gourmet - the company that supplies BA´s in-flight meals.

Talks with the Transport and General Workers Union aimed at reinstating 600 sacked staff from the firm have failed.

BA head Rod Eddington apologised to passengers and called for more talks.

´Unofficial action´

The airline´s chief executive said: "It is a matter of huge disappointment that we have become embroiled in an issue which is not a dispute with British Airways and disrupted thousands of people who were about to take their hard-earned summer holidays.

"I now call upon the TGWU to repudiate this action and to urge its members in the strongest possible terms to put our customers first and go back to their work places.

"We are writing to the union to this effect.

"I also call upon Gate Gourmet´s senior management and senior trade union officials to attend talks immediately to resolve the dispute which appears to have triggered further unofficial action at British Airways."

Flights diverted

The escalating row, estimated by BA to be affecting at least 17,000 passengers, has now started to hit other airlines as well.

Qantas, Sri Lankan Airlines and British Mediterranean Airlines have cancelled some flights because BA ground staff also service them.

The dispute began when Gate Gourmet dismissed 600 staff after an unofficial strike on Wednesday over the company´s restructuring plans.

seems a bit drastic for a shortage of food, why can´t they fill the hot-boxes full of Maccy D´s or Burger King? Seems like a real terrorist threat is apparent and they want to ground flights just in case.

"More Americans trust CNN."

More Americans shit because they eat regular, too...

i fly into Manchester
better airport anyways

Something fishy about all this...

They cancelled all the flights because they couldn´t get any food?

Is there precident for this?

The dispute began when Gate Gourmet dismissed 600 staff after an unofficial strike on Wednesday over the company´s restructuring plans.