Page 12 QQQ Daily Mail, Wednesday, August 28, 2019

slap in the face for holidaymakers

across the country.’

BA customer Jacki Whitehouse,

40, had been due to fly to Sardinia

with her fiance but has been

caught up in the strike chaos. She

said Mr Strutton ‘should feel guilty

and thoroughly ashamed’.

The Balpa chief faced further

fury on social media. One passen-

ger wrote on Twitter that Mr

Strutton has ‘stuck two fingers up

to 450,0000 passengers by going on

holiday at this important time’.

More than 3,000 Balpa members

who fly for BA – including captains

paid £167,000 a year on average –

will strike on September 9, 10, and

27 after rejecting an 11.5 per cent

pay rise over three years, plus an

extra 1 per cent bonus. BA’s chief

executive Alex Cruz has said the

‘inflation-busting’ hike would have

pushed the average package of its

captains above £200,000.

The walkouts are set to trigger

the cancellation of hundreds of

flights – with around 850 BA jour-

neys scheduled in and out of the

UK on each strike date. There will

also be disruption on surrounding

days caused by knock-on delays.

Passengers are being rebooked

by BA on flights with other airlines

where available, although many

are being forced to cancel their

trips. Hours after announcing the

strike dates, Mr Strutton jetted off

from Bournemouth airport to

captain assured passengers over a

loudspeaker it was a ‘belter’ of a

day and told them to enjoy their

trips, which included a tour of a

local museum.

By 5.30pm they were back on

board and ready for their next stop

• the Tuscan port of Livorno.
  Andrew Bridgen, a Tory MP said:
  ‘[Mr Strutton] should not be on a
  luxury cruise – he should be in
  London negotiating. Many of these
  pilots are already paid more than
  the Prime Minister. I have sup-
  ported Balpa in the past but you
  can’t defend the indefensible’.
  Last night Mr Strutton said: ‘On
  Thursday I offered BA the chance
  for further negotiations but they
  said no. I asked if they would con-
  sider arbitration but they said no.
  ‘I’m still working while on holiday
  so BA can contact me at any time
  if they change their mind but have
  not done so, they’ve not made any
  contact at all. The real question is,
  with the options I’ve given BA,
  why do they prefer a strike?’
  Comment – Page 16

MY HOLIDAY’S A

Mail tracks down BA

strike leader as he

enjoys Med cruise

... after wrecking

plans of thousands

STROLLING in the Sar-

dinian sunshine, Brian

Strutton seems to be enjoy-

ing his summer break.
But thousands of families have
had their holiday plans ruined –
thanks to the pilot strike
arranged by the union boss pic-
tured above in his polo shirt.
Mr Strutton is on a luxury break
in the Mediterranean as thou-
sands of BA customers scramble
to save their own holidays.
The airline said yesterday it has
received almost 140,000 calls and
tweets from panicking passengers
forced to rearrange trips due to
three days of strikes next month.
Up to 450,000 holidaymakers
have been caught up in the may-
hem, caused by a dispute over
pilots’ pay. Some needlessly forked
out for alternative flights after BA
wrongly told them their bookings
had been cancelled.
But Mr Strutton appeared oblivi-
ous to the chaos as the Mail traced
him to the Italian island of Sar-
dinia on the second stop of a
seven-day cruise with his family.
The £141,000-a-year general sec-
retary of pilots union Balpa strolled
round the port of Olbia yesterday
morning with his wife Sue and
adult son, shortly after disembark-
ing from the Marella Discovery 2
cruise ship. The ‘Cosmopolitan

Classics’ cruise, which is operated

by travel firm Tui and costs £

per person, is believed to be an

early birthday treat before Mr

Strutton’s 60th next month.

The ship has two pools, seven

restaurants and capacity for 2,

guests. Passengers have described

being aboard as an ‘amazing’

experience, and describe being

‘treated like royalty’.

Mr Strutton was condemned by

holidaymakers and MPs alike last

night. Former Tory minister David

From James Salmon and

Xantha Leatham in Sardinia

‘He should be guilty

and ashamed’ ‘They can contact

me at any time’

It’s all right for some: Brian Strutton and wife Sue get their first glimpse of Olbia after disembarking

Pictures: JAMIE WISEMAN

Davis said: ‘Under normal circum-

stances no-one would deny Mr

Strutton a well-earned holiday.

‘However, his proper place is back

at the negotiating table in London

because every day lost means thou-

sands of ordinary people cannot

have the privilege of a holiday.’

Chris Philp, a Tory MP who has

campaigned for tougher anti-strike

laws, said: ‘It is shocking that while

ruining everybody else’s holiday,

Mr Strutton is sunning himself

rather than working to resolve the

issues. This is a contemptuous

Palma, Majorca on Saturday before

cruising on to Naples.

The Mail caught up with Mr

Strutton on the second stop of the

journey in Sardinia where passen-

gers could be seen admiring the

spectacular views of the coast. The

tourists appeared to be enjoying

themselves, with some jogging

around the top deck and others

peering through the windows.

Mr Strutton, his wife and son dis-

embarked at around 9.30am. The