Leading UK air operator British Airways has won its latest High Court case against the unions after the court ruled that staff contract conditions had not been breached following changes to onboard conditions for employees.

Unite, the union representing the airline staff, has been in constant negotiations with BA over recent months, many of which have become acrimonious to say the least. The latest case stemmed from changes made to staff contracts in an effort by the embattled airline to reduce overheads in the face of ongoing economic instability. BA has defended the move aimed squarely at halting falling profit while employees were left frustrated at what they saw as a reduction of their liberties and resources.

The contract modifications followed the revelation by the airline in November that is had experienced a £292 million pre-tax loss for the previous six months. Since then, the group has continued to report falling revenue despite recent signs that the travel industry may be on the slow road to recovery.

The decision is likely to be met with a new round of strikes by BA cabin crew, with March 1st looming as a potential action date. The dispute remains unresolved as staff maintain their contract conditions are still in breach of agreement with the ongoing imposition of changes. According to Unite, under fixed collective agreements the pre-existing employment conditions were in place in all individual contracts.

British Airways continues to state that the cost cutting measures are unavoidable and necessary to guarantee the future survival of the airline, arguing that job losses would be widespread if such measures were not enacted.