BA strike

:: Travel Weekly - The National Newspaper of the Travel Industry ::: "British Airways was forced to shut down its flight operations at Heathrow Aug. 11 because of sympathy strikes stemming from a dispute that doesn�t directly involve the airline, but does involve a name familiar to people in the U.S. travel industry.

British Airways said it also is reviewing its flights for Aug. 12, and customers should check for updates at ba.com before going to the airport.

British Airways was rebooking customers from the canceled Aug. 11 flights, but said they probably would not get to depart until after the weekend, and the airline would try to find hotels for them. Customers also can choose to get a refund instead.

British Airways was forced to cancel the flights when many baggage handlers, loaders and bus drivers walked out in sympathy with workers at Gate Gourmet, the firm that provides the airline with its in-flight meals, the BBC reported.

That firm, Gate Gourmet, said it dismissed 350 workers after an authorized strike Aug. 10. The British Airways workers who walked out are represented by the same union, the Transport and General Workers Union.
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