UK carrier British Airways' cabin crew have rejected the airline's latest pay offer, opening the way for further strike action.

The Unite union, which represents 90 per cent of BA's 12,000 cabin crew, said 67 per cent of its members voted against the offer, 3,419 votes to 1,686.

However, only half the 11,000 affected Unite union members voted, well below previous ballots that saw more than 70 per cent of them take a stand.

As well as pay components, the BA proposal included other elements, including a partial re-instatement of staff travel benefits.

This apparently was not good enough for the members, who want full reinstatement including seniority rights.

Before the industrial action, staff built up rights to discounted flights which grew with their length of service. BA now has withdrawn the long-service element for workers who went on strike earlier this year.

Other 'bad' points in the deal, according to the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association (BASSA) include "vastly reduced" terms and conditions for new staff.

The vote came as a shock to many in the industry and the share market.

Many had believed cabin crew would accept the pay deal, which offered a pay rise of 2.9 per cent next year and three per cent the year after.

Cabin crew have taken 22 days of strike action since March, costing BA more than GBP180 million.

Any new strike could come in September.