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Last-ditch talks aimed at preventing a strike by some 12,000 British Airways (BA) cabin crew collapsed Friday, leaving thousands of travellers facing chaos within hours.

After a bitter public war of words, BA chief executive Willie Walsh and the joint leader of Britain's biggest trade union Unite, Tony Woodley, began face-to-face talks Thursday to try to resolve their differences.

But now three days of strikes look set to start from Saturday, followed by a second walkout from March 27 for four days, causing disruption in the busy Easter holiday period.

"It's with great disappointment that I have to tell you all that negotiations have broken down," Woodley told reporters. "The strike goes ahead at midnight tonight (Friday)."

He added of BA: "This company does not want to negotiate, this company wants ultimately to go to war with my members."

BA has vowed to keep at least 60 percent of passengers flying during the action, using staff who are not striking, as well as leasing up to 22 planes with pilots and crew from up to eight other European airlines.

"It's deeply regrettable that a proposal that we have tabled to Unite that I believe is fair... has not been accepted," Walsh said outside the London venue of the talks.

"BA will be flying tomorrow and will continue to fly throughout these periods of industrial action."

Walsh added he had "no concerns" about threatened action from unions in France and Germany in sympathy with Unite.

He added that BA's offer to the union would remain on the table until strikes started.

British Transport Secretary Lord Andrew Adonis said it was "disappointing" that the talks had broken down.

"This strike is in no-one's interests and will cause major inconvenience to passengers," he said. "I continue to urge both sides to find a negotiated settlement."

The main opposition Conservatives have accused Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government of a feeble response to the threatened strikes because Unite is a major donor to his ruling Labour party.

Brown is expected to call a general election within weeks, with May 6 as the likely election day.

The long-running dispute centres on cost-cutting changes to working conditions by the airline which the union says will lead to the introduction of a "second tier workforce on poorer pay and conditions".

BA, which is attempting to merge with Spanish rival Iberia, said last month it expected to notch up a record loss in the current financial year due to weak demand for air travel.

It made better than expected pre-tax losses of 50 million pounds (57 million euros, 79 million dollars) in the last three months of 2009.

In December, BA won a legal battle to prevent a 12-day walkout by cabin crew over Christmas and New Year after a judge ruled that a ballot of staff by Unite was invalid.

AFP