4 December 2012 Last updated at 04:32 ET

British Airways to cut 400 cabin crew jobs

BA said that none of the losses would be compulsory

British Airways is cutting 400 senior cabin crew positions on both its long and short-haul routes.

It said that all the redundancies would be voluntary and that it had started a 90-day consultation process. The first cuts are expected to take effect from next March.

The announcement comes after a newspaper report said the airline had too many senior cabin crew members.

BA's sister airline, Iberia, is moving ahead with plans to shed 4,500 jobs.

The two carriers merged in 2011 to form International Airlines Group.

BA said the job cuts would affect senior cabin crew staff who worked exclusively on either its long or short-haul flights, and not those who worked across both.

The airline has about 14,000 cabin crew staff in total.

In 2010 and 2011 it was hit by a series of strikes over staffing levels, pay, and the removal of travel concessions.