Such a resolution is devoutly wished for, since bringing Heathrow and Stansted to a standstill does not appear to be in the best interests of either the company or its staff, would harm the country's faltering economy, and damage Britain's reputation as a business centre and a tourist destination. And I really don't mean to be selfish, but there is also the small matter of my planned departure for a week's holiday in Greece.  The company argues that the pay offer "is fair and reasonable during a very difficult economic climate for the aviation industry" and it certainly must seem to management that everything that could go wrong has gone wrong this year, from increased security measures and BA strike action to volcanic ash clouds.  Still, the evidence is that things are, in fact, looking up. The number of people travelling through BAA's UK airports in July rose 0.3pc to 11m in July, and Heathrow enjoyed a record month. According to the International Air Transport Association, the industry body, traffic levels are recovering and fares are rising. Orders for 400 new aircraft at last month's Farnborough Airshow certainly suggest that there is some optimism in the air.  So BAA, which froze staff pay last year and is trying to impose a pretty substantial cut in real terms this year, could probably manage to be a little bit more generous, without appearing reckless. On the other hand, union leaders should bear in mind that this is a dispute over members' pay, not their jobs, and deploy the weapons at their disposal for accordingly.  It is not just that I am worried about my holiday. I can't believe it is beyond the wit of management and union leaders to bridge this gap, which doesn't seem to be either particularly big or terribly complicated. If this dispute can't be sorted out, what on earth will the carnage be like in the public sector, where spending cuts will mean real job cuts rather than just paltry pay awards?
This may just be wishful thinking, but I have high hopes that BAA and Unite,    when they meet for talks at Acas on Monday, will manage to thrash out some    sort of agreement to avert strike action during the August bank holiday    weekend.