Search: BA Unite strike
The UK's reputation is being hit by the British Airways strike, business leaders warned, as both sides in the dispute continued to argue fiercely over the impact of the industrial action.
The airline was facing its third day of disruption, and its busiest, following the weekend walk-out by members of the Unite union in a bitter row over cost-cutting and jobs.
The union claimed that more than 140 BA aircraft were standing idle at Heathrow, the airport worst affected by the dispute.
An official also maintained that fewer than 300 crew had volunteered to stand in for strikers and accused the airline of counting inbound crew to inflate the numbers of staff on duty.
BA said 97.6% of its Gatwick crew and 52% of Heathrow crew reported to work as normal over the weekend. The company said it reinstated a number of cancelled flights this weekend after maintaining that more crew than expected had turned up for work.
Business group London First, whose members include many of London's internationally-based businesses, said the capital's reputation as a centre for global trade was being damaged by the strike.
Advertisement starts
Advertisement ends
Chief executive Baroness Valentine said: "Despite the best efforts of BA management and many staff to continue to put the interests of passengers first, the strike is reminiscent of a best-forgotten era.
"The message from BA's London-based business customers to both sides is: Get back to the negotiating table, and to union members: Get back to work in the meantime."
Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite, who on Sunday called on BA chairman Martin Broughton and "sensible" directors to intervene in the dispute, will address strikers at a meeting near Heathrow.
The union has called a four-day strike from next Saturday and has warned of further action from mid-April unless the deadlocked row is resolved.
