ALL British Airways flights between Nassau and London’s Heathrow airport in the United Kingdom next week have been cancelled as a result of strike action by Unite, the union representing the airline’s cabin crew.The cancellations will affect hundreds of passengers and could potentially go on for weeks, although the exact duration has not yet been confirmed.
It comes after a High Court ruling in London cleared the way Thursday for Unite to push ahead with its planned series of five-day strikes which are set to start Monday. In a release issued late that afternoon, Marcia Erskine, a spokesperson for the airline, said BA still expects to fly 70 per cent of all passengers booked to travel on the airline during strike period from May 24 to May 28. That includes 60 per cent of all long-haul flights.

However, another BA spokesperson at the company’s New York City office yesterday confirmed the Nassau to London/London to Nassau flights will be among the 40 per cent of all long-haul flights which are impacted by the strike, with all flights cancelled from Monday, May 24 to Friday, May 28. BA operates five direct flights between Nassau and London each week.Customers are advised to check the company’s website Airways for more information. They will need to speak to the reservations department to see if they can be booked onto the next possible flight, said the airline official.

In a statement released late Thursday, BA added that many thousands of passengers will be able to use seats we have secured on more than 30 other airlines to reach their destination, if they still wish to travel or be rebooked onto an alternative BA flight departing within the next 355 days. Refunds will be available for customers whose flights have been cancelled.The union, Unite, is protesting BA’s cost-cutting plans including a wage freeze and reduction of in-flight staff and rejected BA’s offer last week as it did not include the restoration of travel perks that management had revoked for employees who participated in a previous walkout in March 2010. They initially outlined plans to strike in stages for 20 days, with the first four-day walkout to begin May 18, followed by a strike from May 24 to 28, and subsequent strikes from May 30 to June 3, and June 5 to 9.The first walkout was averted after BA obtained the last minute injunction against the action. The decision to lift that on Thursday means the action will proceed from Monday, continuing for 20 days  impacting more flights to the Bahamas  unless a settlement is reached between employer and employees.