British Airways came a step closer to having its flights grounded over Christmas when cabin crew unions said they would hold a strike ballot. Flight attendants have warned for several months ofindustrial unrest over new contracts but yesterday’s announcement marked a serious escalation of the dispute.

The ballot will be held next Monday - the same day the contentious contracts are introduced - with the result to be announced on December 14. The timing makes it likely that any strikes will take place around Christmas, a peak period for air travel.

British Airways says it’s seeking 3,700 job cuts. Unite says the plans would lead to 4,400 people leaving and that the equivalent of thousands of positions could instead be eliminated through increased use of part-time working. The union’s letter says cabin crew should be offered the same 2.6 percent wage cut as pilots, with a raise in basic pay deferred for two years, allowing it to match 220 million pounds in savings sought by BA.

A strike would be the first major dispute involving directly employed staff at London-based British Airways since July 1997, when flight attendants walked out for three days in a protest that wiped 110 million pounds from earnings.