British Airways cabin crew strikes cost the airline £98m

The British Airways (BA) cabin crew strike has cost the airline £98m and caused passenger numbers to drop by 14%, the airline has said.

But BA admitted the full financial impact of the stoppages, taking into account lost bookings, will only become clear once the dispute is over.

The current figures covered May, including 14 days of industrial action, the Daily Telegraph has reported.

But the airline said an increasing number of cabin crew were defying the strike, which meant four in five long-haul services have been able to fly.

A Unite spokesman said: “It’s costing BA a fortune. It was never our intention to hurt passengers but to cause BA enough damage that the airline would address our concerns.”