Heathrow chaos

BA Heathrow chaos affects 70,000

Tens of thousands of air passengers have been stranded at Heathrow after British Airways cancelled all flights until Friday evening. The move was prompted by an unofficial strike by ground staff in support of sacked catering workers. More than 100 flights were grounded on Thursday leaving 15,000 passengers stranded - 1,000 of whom spent the night sleeping in the airport.

Union leaders said they were hopeful fresh talks may be held on Friday. Mick Temple, managing director at Heathrow, said there would be "significant disruption today and probably for several days to come" for BA passengers, as the airline faces cancelling a total of 550 flights up until 2000 BST on Friday.

But the Transport and General Workers' Union said they were optimistic talks could take place on Friday afternoon with conciliation service Acas, and progress could signal the end of industrial action. Earlier talks held on Thursday aimed at reinstating 600 sacked staff from the caterers that serve BA flights, Gate Gourmet, collapsed.

Nearly 100 BA aircraft and 1,000 pilots and cabin crew are in the wrong places around the world, BA said.
Qantas, Sri Lankan, Finnair, GB and British Mediterranean, also serviced by BA ground staff, have also been affected by the strike which is taking place during the peak holiday season.
So far, three Qantas London-bound flights from Australia are known to have been diverted to Frankfurt. BA said compensation claims will be considered on a case by case basis and all 70,000 passengers caught up in the chaos can rebook or have their flight costs refunded.

Staff at Heathrow - regarded as the world's busiest international airport - are trying to book travellers on flights with other airlines, while other services including Eurostar have reported a surge in business. Meanwhile passengers due to travel on Friday are being urged not to turn up at the airport, but to contact the airline or their travel agent for more information.

BA, which is set to lose £10m for every day that the dispute continues, said about 4,000 passengers were put up at hotels across London and the South East on Thursday night.
Another 1,000 spent the night in Terminals 1 and 4, some staying in a huge marquee, and were provided with sleep rolls, blankets and food. Those stranded were tired and frustrated on Friday morning, with many complaining of poor communication by airport staff.

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/