British Airways crews set two strike dates

The union, Unite, planned on starting a three-day strike March 20 and a four-day strike March 27, potentially disrupting travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers, The Times of London Online reported Friday.

"Unite's action had no shred of justification. "British Airways is facing two years of record financial losses. Unlike other businesses, we have avoided compulsory redundancies," a BA spokesman said.

The Times said the union would put a last-minute contract offer to its rank-and-file before the first strike was scheduled, possibly putting a halt to the walkouts.

BA said its backup plan included hiring charter companies to take over some routes. The carrier expected to hire 23 fully staffed planes to cover some of its route obligations if necessary, The Times said.

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