American Airlines’ staff at Heathrow Airport are to take industrial action over pay.

Around 50 technicians and crew chefs will take part in strikes, which threaten to disrupt the airline’s 23 daily departures from the London airport.

“Amid a cost-of-living emergency, American Airlines is proposing that our members accept a three year pay cut. That is simply unacceptable,” said Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite​​​​​​, the trade union. “Our American Airlines members have Unite’s total support during these strikes.”

The airline has experienced a strong post-pandemic recovery, posting a record second-quarter revenue of $13.4 billion – a 12.2% increase over the same period in 2019, despite flying 8.5% less capacity.

Currently, dates have not been set for the strikes, but an announcement by Unite will be made in the coming days.

Around 300 Unite members employed at Heathrow by US airline United Airlines may also go on strike over pay, with a ballot for industrial action closing on 11 October.

An American Airlines spokesperson says the Aviation Maintenance Technicians are not on strike ‘at this time’, adding, “We’re disappointed we haven’t yet been able to reach a pay agreement with UNITE…but we remain committed to reaching an agreement as quickly as possible. There is no impact to our London maintenance operation and we look forward to continuing to serve our customers.”