A dispute between British Airways and its staff has left 70,000 passengers stranded at Heathrow Airport as 500 flights have been cancelled. A union representing Gate Gourmet, which provides onboard meals for British Airways flights, said the company had fired 800 workers on Wednesday. The company said only 667 workers had been dismissed. Several employees have stopped working in sympathy for the fired catering staff.
See "British Airways cancels its flights as strike continues", Associated Press, International Herald Tribune, August 11, 2005