AFP - British Airways and the country's biggest trade union were in last-ditch talks Thursday in a bid to avert a planned strike this weekend by BA cabin crew.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh and Unite joint-leader Tony Woodley met face to face with less than 48 hours to go before a planned three-day walkout.

The surprise talks took place at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) headquarters in central London.

"We are meeting and we are talking," Woodley said as he left the TUC building.

Unite members among BA's crew were planning to strike for three days from Saturday with a further four-day strike due from March 27 in a bitter row over changes to crew numbers and working practices.

A strike could spell misery for thousands of BA travellers in the run-up to the Easter holiday season with the prospect of more industrial action next month if the dispute is not resolved.

Unite has warned further walkouts may occur in mid-April.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has branded the planned industrial action "deplorable" and "unjustified" and has urged talks between BA and Unite.

Brown has come under fire from the main opposition Conservatives and been accused of weakness on the issue because Unite is a major financial backer of his governing Labour Party.