British Airways' walk-out began today as planned despite attempts to reach an agreement over the weekend, The Telegraph and other sources are reporting.
In the hours leading up to the midnight deadline, joint leader of Unite, Tony Woodley, reportedly offered to suspend the industrial action if the airline gave back travel concessions it stripped members of following the last strike.
Services to the most popular destinations in Europe, including Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, have been canceled as the airline pumps resources into keeping as many of the profitable long-haul routes open as possible. However, there will be some disruption to services to New York JFK and Dubai.
The carrier said that its plan would allow it to fly 60,000 people a day this week, almost 30,000 fewer per day than it flew last May.
On the company's website is the following statement: "We are very disappointed that Unite have gone ahead with strike action from 24 May to 29 May. We will continue to keep as many of you flying as possible. We would like to apologise if you are affected by the strike. We will do all we can to minimise the disruption to you. We will update ba.com with further changes as soon as possible and would recommend that you regularly check the status of your flight."
