Frantic efforts to head off a "deeply damaging" strike by British Airways cabin crew are to be made, with time running out to reach a deal.
Talks between leaders of Unite and BA managers are expected to be held hours after the union announced another massive vote in favour of industrial action in a bitter row over jobs and working conditions.
Unite will hold a series of internal meetings over the next few days before deciding whether to set strike dates, which would hit flights in the busy run-up to Easter.
The union will have to give seven days' notice of any strikes to the airline, which has been training other staff, including pilots, to take the place of cabin crew if action is held.
Unite ruled out industrial action over Easter and is stressing its commitment to talks rather than pressing ahead with strike dates.
The cabin crew were due to take 12 days of strike action over Christmas but BA won a legal challenge after it emerged that the union had balloted hundreds of members who had subsequently left the airline.
Unite lost a second legal case last week when it failed to argue that changes to working practices and reductions in crew numbers were unlawful.
More than 80% of those who voted in the new ballot said yes to industrial action on a turnout of 78%. Unite said 7,482 of its members voted in favour of action, with 1,789 voting against. The vote was only slightly below a huge 9-1 ballot result last year.
Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: "With this overwhelming vote in the teeth of BA harassment and media misrepresentation, BA's cabin crew have made clear that the deep sense of grievance they feel about their treatment by their employer remains."
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BA said most people will have voted before Friday's court decision and said it hopes the union will bear this in mind as it considers its next steps. It added that some progress had been made during recent talks at the TUC, but warned: "We will not allow Unite to ruin this company. Should a strike take place, we will do everything we can to protect our customers' travel plans as far as possible."
