By KUNA
London : British Airways (BA) pilots have voted to go on strike in a dispute over the airline’s plans to launch a new transatlantic subsidiary, their union said Thursday.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said the airline plans to staff “BA OpenSkies” with crews on inferior terms to those of existing staff.
The union, which represents 3,000 BA pilots, said 86 percent voted to strike.
It added that no strike dates have yet been set.
If the strike goes ahead, it will be the first industrial action by BA pilots since 1980.
BALPA claims the terms and conditions at the new BA OpenSkies venture will threaten those of “every mainline pilot”.
BA management said it was “disappointed” at the outcome.
It denies trying to undercut its pilot workforce and says the creation of OpenSkies will not “in any way affect their current pay and conditions or threaten jobs”.
Under the “Open Skies” agreement, the US and EU regulatory authorities eased restrictions on air travel.
Now, any EU-based airline will be able to fly from any city within the EU to any city within the US.
BA’s new airline plans to offer daily flights to New York direct from Paris and Brussels from June 2008, with further routes to follow.