Underground action

Workers for London's Underground (subway) system have decided to take job action "short of a strike" in their latest dispute with management. There is also a continuing conflict between workers and operators of many London bus lines, primarily in east London. This has already caused one strike and the situation remains unresolved.

Christmas events abound

We're tracking holiday events on the updates page of our Let's Take the Kids to London website. Some of the highlights include plays, Christmas markets, fairs, holiday-themed walks, shopping events, ice skating, even a Christmas with Shakespeare event at the Globe Theatre.

Olympics: tourism boost or bane?

There's a battle of "spin" going on between London tourism and Olympic officials and the European Tour Operators Association. The ETOA has a study that says London tourism will be hurt–not helped–by the 2012 Olympic Games. Read the reasons in our recent Examiner.com article.

In an apparent retort, the CEO of VisitLondon claims that while not all visitors will attend sporting events "many want to take advantage of the buzz around London as the host city." Visitors will also benefit from new hotel facilities, transportation improvements, and other offshoots of the Olympic effort, according the the tourism agency.

BA (potential) strike FAQs

1. Who may go on strike? About 2, 500 cabin crew members of the Unite union.
2. Why are they considering a strike? British Airways wants to cut current staff and reduce compensation for new hires.
3. Why is the airline doing this? BA has suffered huge financial losses recently. Some industry experts think the airline is in some danger of bankruptcy if it doesn't make changes soon.
4. When will the strike vote be taken? Starts November 16 and ends on December 14.
5. What's the earliest possible strike date? December 21.
6. Likelihood of actual strike? Really, who knows? But the prospect seems very possible.
7. Isn't someone going to court over this? Of course...it's the "age of litigation" after all. The union talked about legal action to block job cuts, then backed off. The airline has gotten injunctions against strikes in the past.
8. Should I change my plans to fly British Airways? If you're flying before December 21, there's little chance of a problem. After that, it's hard to tell. If your trip is time-critical, or during the holidays, you may want to think about options.
   
9. If I already have paid for tickets, can I make a change? In past "labor events" airlines tried to maintain flight schedules and/or try to re-book passengers on other flights. Most airlines will waive penalties for rebooking....but not until a strike is actually underway. And rebooking during peak holiday periods will be difficult.
   

Snail mail crawling again

Royal Mail workers have called off strike action until at least after the December holiday season. The British postal service has recently suffered through a series of one-day strikes and disruptions to deliveries.

Lord Mayor's Show

Don't confuse the Lord Mayor of the City of London:

with the Mayor of London:

the Lord Mayor is a much better dresser, even though the he "rules" over only a small portion of London. And with that sartorial splendor comes the chance to really dress up and throw one heck of a party–the Lord Mayor's Show.

This year's show is November 7th, starting with a parade and military aircraft flyover at 11am at Mansion House, then to St. Paul's Cathdral, then on to the Royal Courts of Justice where the new Lord Mayor is sworn in. Afterwards, at 5pm the new Lord Mayor gets to light the fuse of a fireworks display on the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges.

BA strike seems likely, future is murky

This week financial pundits have raised a question that's been on the minds of many British Airways' customers: will the airline go bankrupt? It's a bit like asking the same question a few years ago about General Motors. Both are (were) mammoth institutions, employing thousands, and with operations spread across the globe. But the recipe for disaster are remarkably similar: soaring labor costs, huge pension liabilities, worker unrest, rising fuel and other operating costs, an aging infrastructure, and stumbling management.

So the question about British Airways is a fair, although disturbing one: can the airline survive? Losses this year could be record setting and a strike near the Christmas holidays is a very real possibility. That action–which would seem suicidal for labor and management–may be a pivotal point in the future of BA.