British Airways reassures travellers they will reach destinations during strike

British Airways customers will be able to fly to their destinations during a 48-hour strike by cabin crew next week although a small number of flights will be "merged", the airline announced.

Members of the Unite union will walk out on Tuesday and Wednesday in a dispute over pay.

BA said all flights to and from Gatwick and London City airports will operate as normal.

The vast majority of flights to and from London Heathrow will operate as normal.

"As part of our contingency plan, we will be merging a very small number of flights to and from Heathrow. This will mean some customers will travel slightly earlier or later in the day than their original booking," said a statement.

Unite says members of the so-called mixed fleet cabin crew who joined BA in recent years are on lower pay than other staff.

BA said customers affected are being contacted with the options available for them.

It added: "We look forward to welcoming more than 200,000 customers on to our flights across the two days and ensuring they can all proceed with their holiday breaks, visits to friends and family or business meetings.

"Customers can book flights as normal through ba.com.

"We urge Unite to abandon its strike plans which are serving only to cause anxiety among our mixed fleet cabin crew colleagues who do a tremendous job for our customers.

"We continue to be available for further dialogue with Unite."