British Airways staff have cancelled the first day of their planned strike in a "goodwill gesture" — but six days of chaos are still lined up for flights between Bermuda and the UK.

Thousands of cabin crew were set to begin their series of three-day walkouts next Monday, when they had vowed to "almost totally disrupt BA services".

Yesterday, they announced action would be postponed until Tuesday after BA chief executive Willie Walsh agreed to join talks with union officials.

However, as there are no flights between Bermuda and the UK on Mondays anyway, the gesture will not affect any passengers to and from the Island.

Strikes remain earmarked for Tuesday and Wednesday next week, as well as on February 6 and 7, and February 13 and 14, when Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) members have pledged to halt hundreds of short and long-haul flights from Gatwick, Heathrow and Glasgow.

It means Bermuda passengers will have to make inconvenient diversions via North America.

Business leaders fear the move will throw the Island's vital connection with Europe into temporary disarray and have repeatedly called for BA's staff and bosses to avoid any strike.

T&G general secretary Tony Woodley said yesterday: "After the personal intervention of Willie Walsh with our senior representatives, and as a goodwill gesture, we have agreed a 24-hour postponement of the start of the industrial action.

"This extends the time available to secure a settlement to the outstanding problems, and I hope that the company will now join us in making every effort to do so."

Mr. Walsh has said a strike would be "completely unnecessary and unjustified".

As well as the next three Tuesdays and Wednesdays, BA faces strike action on each of the next three Mondays, although there is no service to the Island on those days.

BA is today set to announce details of its flight schedule for the first period of action and bosses say they are doing everything they can to ensure disruption will be kept to a minimum.

Anybody due to travel between next Tuesday and February 16 can rebook their flights for a different date, while passengers holding a booking for a flight departing next Tuesday or Wednesday can get a refund.

The strike comes after staff claimed managers capped pay by limiting promotion opportunities and forced them to work while unwell under new sickness absence rules.

An overwhelming 96 percent voted for industrial action in a ballot of the more than 11,000 cabin crew.

Earlier this week, conciliation service Acas — a mediator between unions and management in the UK — was asked to step in to help with the talks, which centre around sickness, pay and staff issues.

The dispute originally centred around plans to reduce BA's $4 billion pension deficit, which entailed later retirement for the airline's 45,000 employees.

However, that part of the row was resolved after BA Forum, which represents the airline's four unions, recommended acceptance of suggested changes to the scheme.

BA agreed to make a one-off contribution of $1.5 billion into the fund subject to acceptance of benefit changes.