In the midst of a strike, British Airways Plc started an advertising campaign to recruit 1,250 new crew members in the next year as a 16- month dispute with its 12,000 current flight attendants shows no sign of nearing an agreement.

The airline, which is Europe’s third largest, placed a full-page advertisement for cabin crew and onboard customer service managers today in an edition of the Daily Mail newspaper, claiming it is seeking to build a “new cabin crew team” at its London Heathrow base.

The airline claims to have suffered back-to-back record financial losses and says it needs to continue making permanent changes to its cost base to ensure a long-term survival.

The airlines said the Unite union is fully aware of the hiring plans and that the changes will not affect contract terms for existing staff.

Source:Bloomberg Businessweek