* CEO Cruz in front of parliamentary committee
* Political pressure eases after union agreement in jobs row
* BA flying 25-30% of normal schedule as winter approaches
(Adds background, detail)
By Sarah Young
LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - British Airways' boss said on
Wednesday the company was doing everything possible to make it
through the winter, highlighting the pressures it faces from the
coronavirus crisis as he was grilled by lawmakers over plans to
cut thousands of jobs.
Painting a bleak picture, BA CEO Alex Cruz said the airline
was running at 25 to 30% of its normal flight schedule, and
urged the government to bring in a COVID-19 testing regime to
shorten 14-day quarantine rules and get people travelling again.
He said a fear of flying during the pandemic had destroyed
any hope of a rapid return to normality as the traditionally
weaker winter period looms.
"We're still fighting for our own survival," Cruz told a
parliamentary committee hearing on Wednesday. "We are taking
every measure possible to make sure we can actually make it
through this winter."
The airline has been under attack from politicians for
months over its job cut plans, but the pressure eased slightly
on Wednesday when Huw Merriman, chairman of the parliamentary
committee on transport, said BA's staff relations appeared to
have improved.
BA has said it needs to cut up to 13,000 jobs, or about 30%
of its workforce, because the COVID-19-hit travel market will
take years to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
The lawmakers have previously labelled BA a "national
disgrace" for its treatment of employees and said it was seeking
to drive huge change "under the cover of a pandemic".
Cruz told the committee BA had now reached an agreement in
principle with its cabin crew union Unite, which needed approval
in a ballot. If approved this would mean that what lawmakers
described as the company's "fire and rehire" policies would be
off the table.
Merriman said this was a "positive update".
During the crisis, BA has been bleeding 20 million pounds of
cash per day, straining the finances of its parent company IAG
which is in the process of raising 2.74 billion euros
from shareholders.
Cruz said a return to flying had been hampered by the weekly
changes to quarantine rules. A two-stage testing system, where
passengers are tested on arrival and five days later could
remove the need for 14-day quarantines, he said.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by Estelle Shirbon and Jane
Merriman)