Travellers face massive disruption this January after airport workers at seven British airports voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over the closure of their final salary pension scheme.

Three strikes will paralyse Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports for 24 hours from 0600 on January 7 and January 14. A third stoppage, of 48 hours, is planned to start on January 17.

Unite, the trade union that represents airport firefighters and security staff at BAA’s seven airports, said that its members were extremely angry at the Spanish-owned airport group's decision to close its final salary scheme to new members.

"I am amazed at the solidarity shown by our members, " Brendan Gold, a spokesman for Unite, said. “This is a 2-1 vote for strike action, which is a powerful mandate and a strong message to BAA to think again.”

Mr Gold called the decision by Ferrovial, BAA's Spanish owner, to close the final salary pension scheme to new members crass and stupid.

He gave warning that Unite members would not pay for the overinflated purchase price Ferrovial paid to buy BAA in 2006.

He added that workers had lost trust in BAA and feared that not allowing new employees to join the final salary pension scheme after December 1 was the first step in eliminating the entire scheme.

The union was entitled to call a strike anytime from 28 December but chose not to because it recognised the huge disruption to families' Christmas travel plans that that would cause.

Mr Gold said: "We have given more than the usual notice. There is plenty of time for BAA to come to its senses."

More than three fifths of the 5,000 BAA members voted, with 1,946 members voting in favour of a strike and 1,108 voting against.

The strike will involve staff in maintenance, clerical work, security and firefighting at the seven BAA-owned airports.

There are also fears that a strike early in January will cost the economy dearly, at a time when an economic downturn is threatening.

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