Lufthansa and German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit have agreed to mediated talks to resolve a row over contracts dating back to 2012, the two parties said on Friday.

Lufthansa has been embroiled in a series of separate disputes with its pilots and cabin crew staff over pay and conditions as management seeks to reduce costs to compete with budget airlines and more efficient long-haul carriers. Mediation is to be completed by the end of January, during which time the pilots will not call for further strikes, Lufthansa and VC said in a statement on Friday. “The negotiating table is the only place where we can find solutions that offer prospects for employees and for the company,” Lufthansa executive Bettina Volkens said.

Lufthansa’s pilots have walked out 15 times since early 2014, costing the carrier hundreds of millions of euros in lost profits. Most recently, they were on strike for six days in November, costing the airline a further 100 million euros ($104 million) in profits.

Separately, cabin crew union UFO said on Friday that three-way talks with Lufthansa’s budget carrier Eurowings and fellow union Verdi had failed to reach an agreement.

UFO has been trying to agree new contracts for staff at Eurowings for two years. The carrier reached a separate agreement with Verdi earlier this month, but UFO said on Friday it had sought a deal that both unions could live with.

 

More than 2,000 members of British Airways cabin crew staff have voted to strike in a dispute over pay.

The workers, who represents around 15% of the airline’s cabin crew, were balloted on plans for an industrial walkout affecting services at Heathrow, the Unite union has said.

The decision comes after BA cabin crew rejected a pay rise of 2% last month.

Strike action could potentially begin after December 21, although Unite is yet to confirm whether the walkout would affect travellers over the Christmas period.

Unite balloted around 2,500 of the airline’s crew at Heathrow, with a 79% vote to strike on a 60% turnout.

In response, BA said the union was “creating uncertainty” for passengers during a busy time of year.

Tension over pay and working conditions between the airline and Unite has been ongoing, BBC News reports.

The dispute concerns around 4,000 staff who joined BA since 2010 as part of its Mixed Fleet, who do not feel they are paid enough.

Earnings were advertised between £21,000 and £25,000 but, more accurately start at just over £12,000 plus £3 an hour flying pay, Unite claims.

“Not surprisingly, the crew have rejected a 2% pay offer and onboard customer service managers are furious,” the union said in a statement.

“They do not have collective bargaining rights. The managers have also endured a six-year pay freeze.”

According to a recent survey organised by Unite, half of Mixed Fleet staff have had to take on a second jobs to make ends meet, while the report claims that more than two-thirds of staff were going to work “unfit to fly” because they could not afford to be off sick.

The research also stated that 84% of staff reported experiencing stress and depression since joining BA because of worries over their financial circumstances.

Matt Smith, Unite regional officer, said: “Not only are the pay rates indefensible, but in aviation, low pay is a safety issue.”

A BA spokesperson said: “We are extremely disappointed that the union is creating uncertainty for our customers.

“Mixed Fleet Unite represents about 15% of our cabin crew. We remain focused on resolving this issue as quickly as possible without any disruption to customers.

“We have proposed a fair and reasonable pay increase to Mixed Fleet cabin crew which is in line with that accepted by other British Airways colleagues and which will ensure their reward levels remain in line with cabin crew at our airline competitors.”

Surrey business award winner, Global Travel Management, one of the UK’s leading business travel management companies, this week announced the appointment of Kelly Packington to its board.

Kelly, who lives in Addlestone, near GTM’s Woking head office, started working for the company as a Senior reservations consultant in 2003 and became an Office Manager in 2013. Her appointment as GTM Operations Director will be effective with immediate effect from 9 December 2016..

GTM Managing Director, Scott Pawley says: “The role of Operations Director is an important part of our road map for the future so we’re delighted that Kelly taking up the post, our first board appointment since 2003. Kelly has worked her way through the ranks and proved to be a great asset to the company. As a manager she has been very effective and I know that Kelly is going to be a valuable addition to the Board team.”

In addition to winning the title of Toast of Surrey Best Business with a Turnover over £5million in Toast of Surrey, GTM also won for the second year running, the title of Business Travel Agent of the Year, awarded by the UK’s largest independent travel agent partnership group Advantage Travel Partnership. GTM also had the added kudos in 2015 of seeing Kelly win the title of AFP, Champion of the Year.

“We are at the top of our game as a corporate TMC,” says Scott. “I belive that as a company we will benefit from Kelly’s appointment as her fresh perspective will help add value to our decision-making. I think that ensuring we have a diverse team at the helm helps us to remain relevant and vital and tapping into our own high quality internal pool of talent is a no-brainer.”

The RMT union has called off a Southern rail strike just before Christmas, instead announcing a 48-hour stoppage from 19 December.

 

The decision to cancel the planned three day strike from 22 December follows a consultation with its members.

British Airways has announced a change to its credit card fee for consumer and trade bookings.

From 14 December 2016, if customers choose to pay using a credit card they will now be charged a non-refundable 1% fee of their total ticket price, up to a maximum of £20.

British Airways will continue to offer a selection of free payment methods on ba.com and through the trade.

Switzerland, Spain and Finland will also move to 1% fee from 14 December which will be capped at EUR25 and CHF30.

British Airways does not profit from these fees – they make a contribution towards the charges levied by the credit card companies.