Travelers across Europe face the prospect of further flight cancellations as British Airways cabin crew prepare to take strike action from Monday.

However, employees' union Unite has offered to call off the five-day walkout if the airline reinstates travel perks stripped from staff who took part in earlier walkouts.

Talks aimed at avoiding three five-day strikes over pay and conditions broke down on Saturday evening. The discussions, at the offices of industrial mediation service Acas, came to sudden end when protesters broke into the building.

Unite initially ruled out the possibility of fresh negotiations following the breakdown in talks - described as "catastrophic" by joint union leader Tony Woodley.

Woodley later said that the strike could be avoided if BA reversed its decision to withdraw travel benefits.

"Reinstate our people's travel without unnecessarily vindictive removal of status and this union will call off tonight's strike," he said.

Airline 'tackling issues'

Woodley's announcement came soon after media reports that the union wished to pull the plug on the talks - and that strikes were imminent.

British Airway Chief Executive Willie Walsh had earlier said he was still hopeful of a deal but vowed that the company would not capitulate to union demands.

"BA will survive and we will be stronger because we are tackling the core issues," he told the BBC on Sunday. "We will not allow Unite ... to ground BA."

The British carrier aims to reach a deal with Unite on cost-cutting measures, including an end to crew travel discounts, to save 71.6 million euros ($89.8 million) a year. Last year, BA posted record losses totalling 531 million pounds (611 million euros, $764 million dollars).

rc/Reuters/AP
Editor: Martin Kuebler