Thousands of British Airways PLC cabin crew will stage a three-day strike following the breakdown of talks aimed at resolving a dispute over sickness absence, pay and staffing, in a challenge to airline chief Willie Walsh's efforts to sustain the airline's performance, the Wall Street Journal reports. Flight attendants will walk out from Jan. 29 to 31, the Transport and General Workers' Union said. The union notified BA of its intention to call out cabin crew on strike again on Feb. 6–8 and Feb. 12–14 if the dispute isn't resolved. T&G members include 10,500 cabin crew out of a total of about 14,000 at BA. The airline said it would allow passengers booked to fly with it between Jan. 29 and Feb 16 to change the date of their trip. BA said the industrial action would cause "massive disruption for customers and needless damage" to its business. It urged the union to withdraw its strike threat to help restart negotiations.
