CARIBARENA Antigua

Secretary General of the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) Hugh Riley says he is concerned about the impact the strike by British Airways (BA) cabin crew could have on the regional tourism sector.

“We’re very concerned about anything that disrupts the business of Caribbean tourism,” Riley told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

“A number of our member countries are quite dependent on the UK/Europe and we are naturally working very closely with British Airways to make sure there is little or no disruption to the business of Caribbean tourism.”

The union representing the BA cabin crew, UNITE, has announced plans for another round of strikes scheduled to start on May 18 and will continue to June 2. The action coincides with the South Africa cricket tour of the West Indies and the start of the International Football Federation (FIFA) World Cup.

The dispute is over airline jobs and the carrier's declared cost-cutting strategy and is a follow-on from strikes in March which cost British Airways an estimated £45 million (US$66.9 million).
Unite has indicated that the planned action could still be averted, noting that an approach made to BA for negotiations, over the weekend was rejected.

“A cabin strike can be disruptive, not just from an operational point of view but from a perception point of view because people are thinking of booking… the best we can say is that we’re watching it very closely,” Riley said.

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The CTO official said his organisation was working closely with British Airways executives who have given certain assurances.

Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister John Maginley said he is hopeful that other airlines would be able to step in should the strike action affect long-haul flights to the region.

He said he was awaiting word from the airline as to how it may affect travel to the region.

“We’re waiting for a response from British Airways to see if they’re going to do the long-haul flights,” he added.

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