BA ups strike flying schedule

British Airways said late on Wednesday that it will increase the number of flights during the forthcoming three-day strike by its cabin crew after more staff volunteered to work.

The carrier said on Monday that it will only be able to fly 60% of its passengers during planned strike. Today it said that the number of cabin crew offering to work as normal has increased significantly since then and is expected to grow further.

In addition, the number of other airlines offering their help through charters or provision of spare seats has increased from 50 on Monday to more than 60.

These developments have enabled the airline to reinstate some previously cancelled flights and provide extra capacity for both longhaul and shorthaul destinations.

"I am delighted by the numbers of cabin crew who have been getting in touch with us to express their disillusion with Unite's position. Our crews just want to work as normal, do their usual terrific job and look after our customers," said chief executive Willie Walsh.

"We will now have the potential to fly more than 4,000 additional customers per day and serve more destinations. We believe this is a helpful move at a time when customers are facing rising fares with alternative carriers."

"Morale among our operations teams is high. Yesterday was our most punctual day at Heathrow for months, thanks to the efforts of all parts of the airline," he added.