BA send staff on "ghost flights"

News at Heathrow 10/03/2010

BA Strike looms : 2010 : Heathrow's 3rd runway denied by judge

Extra staff to be trained as cabin crew

In readiness for any strike action that may take place, British Airways have taken steps to increase the training for employees in jobs they are currently not employed to do. Thousands have been trained up to serve on board aircraft as cabin crew. Although Unite, the union representing thousands of BA employees have not yet called a strike, the airline has decided to take a pro active approach and it will also charter more than 20 aircraft and crew from other airlines to fly from Heathrow if the threatened strike goes ahead.

The airline is said to be running “ghost flights” to train the cabin crews and flights have already been added from Heathrow to Cardiff and Glasgow to enable the staff to experience the job and conditions in real life. The airline has vowed to keep long haul flights from Gatwick running.

The union has said that it believed that BA could only train up a fraction of the staff needed, 12,000, on 650 flights a day. The stand in cabin crew are being trained with fellow employees as passengers. A spokes person for BA said, “As part of the Civil Aviation Authority approved training course our volunteer cabin crew have to take part in a day of flight familiarisation. It is a good opportunity for our volunteer crews to work as a team on board a flight and familiarise themselves with the equipment and procedures on board”. BA said that 6,000 volunteers had come forward to keep flights running .

BA Strike looms : 2010 : Heathrow's 3rd runway denied by judge

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