More bad news as the seemingly never ending dispute between cabin crew and British Airways progresses to more threats of strikes.

The recent dispute over the suspension of over 80 staff and sacking of 13 has hindered peace talks between the Union and BA as detailed in my previous blog.

The complications in the talks has lead to a fresh strike ballot likely to be called on Monday for action over the Christmas period. Unite are reluctant to hold the ballot so soon but face pressure from the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (BASSA). 

Duncan Holley, BASSA’s branch secretary said in an article in the Telegraph: “We are looking for the green light for a strike ballot next week, which would encompass the Christmas period and there is every likelihood we will be out then.

“It would be prudent for the travelling public to take this into account and make alternative arrangements to ensure their holiday travel plans are not wrecked.

“What we are trying to do is give people plenty of notice this time round. We are also trying to put pressure on BA by hitting their bookings during one of the busiest times of the year.

“Our members are still being suspended and sacked unfairly. In some cases remarks on a private union forum are being treated as bullying.”

The largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380, landed in Manchester for the first time today. This huge aircraft can carry up to 517 passengers and is split into two ‘decks’, economy on the lower deck and luxury first class on the upper deck.

The aircraft travels between Manchester and Dubai with Emirates airline; passengers will expect to pay around £600 economy and over £3000 first class for a return trip.

First class boasts a huge amount of space, wide-screen TV and personal satellite phone, a ‘no disturb’ button on the reclining leather bed seat and two large shower rooms (a first for this type of service and an impressive engineering feat).

Many people turned up to watch the aircraft land at Manchester Airport, one told the BBC: “It’s fantastic to see it land for the first time. I think it is a monumental occasion.”

See video of it landing at the BBC Manchester website here.

Ryanair has decided to cut flights between the UK and Belfast at the end of October. The decision comes as Belfast City confirmed that a public inquiry into a proposed runway extension would be further delayed.

Ryanair had threatened the withdrawal earlier in the year as my previous blog detailed, so the move is no real surprise.

In a statement the airline said: “Ryanair had planned to open up a wide range of low fare European routes from/to Belfast City once the promised runway extension was delivered, but this has sadly failed to materialise.

“Today’s closure of Ryanair’s Belfast City base means that Belfast and Northern Ireland tourism will lose up to one million passengers annually.”

Ryanair will switch its one Belfast City-based aircraft to another European airport at the start of November.

Passengers on a flight from Heathrow to Hong Kong were horrified to be played an emergency message which told them they were going to make an emergency landing in the sea. The automated message told passengers “This is an emergency. We may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water.”

Luckily, the message was played in error and the flight was not in any trouble. Cabin crew quickly reassured the passengers that the message was a mistake, but the airline, British Airways has had to make a more formal public apology to passengers.

BA said the emergency message was triggered by a computer. A spokesman for the airline added: “We would like to apologise to passengers on board the flight for causing them undue distress.

“Our cabin crew immediately made an announcement following the message advising customers that it was played in error and that the flight would continue as normal.”

The delivery of Boeing’s latest aircraft, the 787 ‘Dreamliner’, is to be delayed because of a hitch in production.

The first customer, All Nippon Airways, had expected the jet by the end of this year, but it has now been told that it will have to wait until February 2011.

More than 50 customers around the world are waiting for the aircraft, including British Airways, Monarch Airlines, Thomson Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Boeing said it was waiting for a Rolls-Royce engine which is needed for the final phases of flight testing.

Iceland Express is launching three new US routes over 2010/2011. The airline is adding Orlando, Chicago and Boston to its network.

The Orlando service will run temporarily from 2-24th October 2010 and every Saturday from London Gatwick, with return flights departing on a Sunday. Prices will start at £224 one-way including taxes.

The Chicagoservice launches on 10th June 2011 and will operate every Friday from London Gatwick. Flights will start from £221 one-way including taxes.

Boston flights from London Gatwick will begin on 13th June 2011 and run four times a week, Monday to Thursday. Prices will start from £231 one-way including taxes.

Iceland Express will offer a stopover in Reykjavik for all flights to the USA.

A sigh of relief came as BAA managed to halt a strike of staff at 6 of the largest UK airports last week, however now Virgin Airlines pilots are threatening to ballot for a strike as early as this week. A last attempt at talks for a resolution are currently being held.

The strike threat comes as the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) claim that Virgin is denying pilots their right to a minimum number of days off as previously agreed to by the two sides. The current right that pilots hold is to have 120 days off in addition to a normal holiday time  in return for frequently working at weekends and bank holidays.

BAA says it has made ‘significant progress’ towards refinancing its debt. The airport operator has arranged a loan of £626m from a group of eight major international banks to help with the £1.57 billion debt. 

In a statement it says it intends to prepay up to £1.1bn of the debt in September. This will be from a combination of proceeds from the new loan, drawings of up to £375m from its revolving credit facilities and proceeds from the sale of its stake in the airport property partnership APP in June.

The loan has a margin of 3.25% for the first three years, rising to 3.75% in the final year.

It intends to refinance the remainder of the subordinated facility through non-core asset disposals, bank and/or institutional loans and capital markets issuance.

Ryanair is starting four new routes from London Gatwick in October, these are: Bologna, Faro, Milan Bergamo and Portoand will also increase the frequency of its London Gatwick to Oslo Rygge route to 10 flights per week.

Bologna picture by Flickr User B a m s h a d

 Porto flights will operate five times a week, Faro and Bologna four, and Milan Bergamo daily.

Chambery Picture by Flickr User guymoll

The British AirwaysCityFlyer subsidiary will operate new route between London City Airport and the French Alps gateways Chambery. The service will run four times a week from 18th December until the end of March 2011, using new Embraer 190 aircraft.

Fares start from £59 one-way including taxes.

BA CityFlyer commercial manager Luke Hayhoe said: “Our schedule is ideally set up to give our customers the opportunity to spend a long weekend, a full week, or even longer, skiing on some of the world’s best slopes and resorts.

“Only a few short hours after taking off from London’s Docklands, our customers can be in a winter wonderland of 120 ski resorts all set amidst the majesty and splendour of the French and Swiss Alps.”

If that wasn’t a persuasive enough image to inspire you to hop on a plane, I’m not sure what is!