British Airways rides out 16-day cabin strike with Qatar planes

British Airways is riding out a 16-day walkout by London Heathrow-based cabin crews with the help of planes from top shareholder Qatar Airways. Aircraft from its Persian Gulf partner have been deployed on British Airways’ short-haul routes, allowing BA to operate almost all flights as normal Monday, the first working day since the strike began Saturday. Long-haul services from Heathrow airport have been combined to avoid cancellations, the airline said. All customers will reach their destinations, with just 4 flights scrapped over the weekend, it said. Qatar Airways, which holds about 20% of IAG, is operating flights for BA with 9 single-aisle Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. The carrier said last month that excess jets from canceled Middle Eastern services are being redeployed to other destinations. <br/>