NEW YORK, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- British Airways has cancelled all flights into and out of London Heathrow airport until at least 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12. This follows the suspension of all British Airways' Heathrow flights this afternoon as a result of unofficial industrial action by staff from catering company Gate Gourmet. This unofficial action spread to British Airways ground staff. Due to the uncertainty of the industrial situation at Heathrow and aircraft and flying crew being out of position, the airline has taken the decision to cancel all Heathrow flights until tomorrow evening. Sir Rod Eddington, British Airways' chief executive, said: "This unprecedented move is a result of the crippling operational impact of unofficial industrial action by staff from the Transport and General Workers union. "Because we have not had sufficient airport staff to operate flights into or out of Heathrow, nearly 100 of our aircraft and 1,000 pilots and cabin crew are in the wrong places around the world and we simply cannot mount a robust operation any earlier. "I would like to apologize unreservedly to our customers. It is a huge disappointment to us that we have become embroiled in someone else's dispute. I have urged the Transport and General Workers Union and Gate Gourmet managers to resolve this dispute and end this misery for our customers." The airline is keeping the situation under constant review and will do everything it can to get its operation back to normal as soon as it can. Customers due to travel tomorrow (Friday) should not go to their respective airport but should contact the airline or their travel agent to re-arrange their travel plans. Details of the airline's flying program will be updated on its http://ba.com/ website. Notes Impact of disruptions on the Americas' Region - All flights from the Americas scheduled to depart to London Heathrow today are being held for 24 hours. - Passengers will be accommodated at local hotels and provided with food vouchers. - Flights departing to London Gatwick or Manchester remain unaffected. - British Airways operates almost 40 flights a day out of the Americas region. Advice for passengers in North America - Customers should check with British Airways first before going to their local airports. - Customers due to travel tonight (Thursday) are advised to visit Latest Flight News on http://ba.com/. - Affected passengers can contact 1 800 AIRWAYS or their local travel agent. Commercial Policy Customers due to travel on British Airways flights up to midnight on Monday, August 15 are covered by British Airways Standard Commercial Policy which enables passengers to rebook their flights or receive a refund on their purchase. DATASOURCE: British Airways CONTACT: Diana Fung, +1-310-417-9767, or John Lampl, +1-347-418-4729, both of British Airways Web site: http://www.britishairways.com/

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