Air passengers flying from UK airports could face severe disruptions over the festive period following the announcement that more than 3,000 Virgin Atlantic cabin crew are to be balloted over industrial action in a dispute over pay.

Pay discussions have taken place over the last seven months as staff claim they earn as much as £10,000 per annum less than competitors’ staff.

Brian Boyd, Unite’s National Officer for Aviation, said: “Our member’s do a professional and responsible job for one of the country’s highest regarded airline and their pay should reflect this.

“At the moment Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew earnings are far less than their comparators on the main business routes at British Airways and clearly this is no longer acceptable to our members.

“Unite has done everything we can to avoid this situation but we have been left with no alternative but to ballot for strike action in an effort to get the company to recognise our members’ contribution to the company’s continued success.”

The ballot will run in tandem with BAA’s staff ballot over the proposed closure of the company pension scheme to new employees.

Both ballots are due to close on 20 December.

In the event of a ‘yes’ vote the union will have a period of 28 days to take action and has, by law, to give seven days notice of strike action to the company.

BAA owns Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton airport, Glasgow, Edinburgh airport and Aberdeen airports.

Virgin Atlantic fly from Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester airport and Glasgow airport.