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It has been a bad year for holidaymakers, with the chaos caused by heavy snow, the Icelandic volcanic ash crisis, strikes by BA and tour operators such as Goldtrail and Sun4U going out of business, leaving thousands stranded abroad and others disappointed that they would not be going on holiday.

More misery was predicted for those flying over the August Bank Holiday weekend from Heathrow, Stansted, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Southampton and Aberdeen as BAA staff threatened to strike over pay. It was therefore a relief for many when the strike was called off on Monday after an improved pay offer was made and Unite, the union involved, said it would recommend that members accept.

BAA had previously offered a 1% pay rise with the promise of another 0.5% if the union agreed to changes in sick-pay conditions. Staff were unimpressed and voted three to one to strike, with 50% of Unite members voting in the ballot.

The new offer is for a 2% pay rise with the promise of at least another £500 lump sum depending on how BAA does with its earnings targets. If it meets them, the lump sum will be increased to £700 and if it exceeds them by 10% the lump sum payable will be £900.

BAA has stated that it needs to keep costs down after such a disastrous year for the industry. Unite, on the other hand, has argued that the industry is coming out of a recession and that it expects the BAA offer to “set the standard”.