Pilots' strike grounds British Airways

The British Airways pilots' strike is the latest mishap in a series of PR disasters for the national flag-carrier. Where does it go from here? Matthew Partridge reports.

British Airways Boeing 747's at London Heathrow airport © NewsCast

Can BA maintain altitude?
(Image credit: British Airways Boeing 747's at London Heathrow airport © NewsCast)

British Airways' pilots this week embarked on the "first walkout by flight crew in the carrier's history", says Graeme Paton in The Sunday Times. The strikes came after its 4,300 pilots rejected a pay offer that the airline claims "would cost it £50m over three years, on top of the 11.5% pay deal already offered". The union insists that a settlement will cost British Airways (BA) less than the £100m sales the airline stands to lose in the strike.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri