The British Airways cabin crew is reported to have entered the second day of a strike launched by 12,000 cabin crew attempting to force Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh to give away with cuts to pay and staffing levels after saying it made a “good start” at operating on the first day.

The Unite union revealed that BA had managed to fly only a third of normal scheduled flights, with 85 planes reportedly been grounded at Heathrow and its main terminal there “a ghost town” on the first day of the three-day stoppage.

However, BA says it reinstated flights as so many worked; adding that 97% of cabin crew due to show up at Gatwick did so on Saturday, as did half at Heathrow.

“We have to wait and see what the mood is like on both sides and who comes out of it better, if anyone comes out of it better at all,” quoted John Strickland, director of aviation specialist JLS Consulting Ltd. “At the minute we are in a situation where both sides are losing.”

Unite affirms that almost 80% of its 12,000 members had been a good support on the very first day of the strike- the first by BA cabin crew in 13 years.

Defending itself, BA revealed to have faced a loss before tax of £342m for the nine months to the end of December 2009 and says it forced to cut costs in order to survive.