Flag carrier seeks to cut costs
British Airways' pilots could accept a voluntary pay cut as part of airline cost cutting measures, reports said yesterday (June 7).
A spokesman for BA confirmed that talks with the UK pilot's union BALPA were underway, but so far "nothing has been finalised."
Reports labelled the move by BA, struggling in the current aviation crisis, "unprecedented".
Last month BA reported a record loss full year of £401m, its worst result for almost 20 years (see ABTN news May 22), prompting it to announce cost saving measures including capacity and staffing cuts.
BA's ceo Willie Walsh last week told staff the airline was facing "a fight for survival" as revenues from premium traffic continue to suffer.
According to reports, "pay and productivity" talks with trade unions are expected to end on June 30, although it is unknown whether this includes the current pilot negotiations.
BA's premium traffic slumped 17.2% in May, the airline reported last week (see ABTN news June 3). This followed on from another sharp drop of 17.7% in April.
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