Strike action which would have thrown six British airports, including Heathrow Airport, into chaos on a key holiday weekend was shelved after airport operator BAA Limited offered a new deal to workers.

Workers at the six BAA airports have been after a pay increase but were not happy with the one per cent rise offered, Unite union members voting three to one to take strike action, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

It was feared that the strike was planned for the upcoming long weekend, one of the busiest periods in the British aviation calendar, however, Unite National Officer Brian Boyd said strike action would be cancelled as talks between Unite and BAA Limited resulted in a "much improved" offer for workers.

"Negotiations between Unite and BAA...have been constructive, and Unite is pleased to announce we are calling off the strike action at BAA's six airports," Mr Boyd said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg.

"Passengers will be relieved that they are now able to go on holiday without the fear of disruption from strikes," British Transport Minister Philip Hammond said, reported AFP.

According to Unite, if strikes had gone ahead BAA airports would have been forced to close as staff such as fire-fighters and security personnel would be difficult to replace at short notice.

Air passengers who have had to contend with a myriad of travel disruptions in the last six months thanks to British Airways' cabin crew strikes, airspace shut down from volcanic ash, and airport closures due to snow would have been outraged should the strikes have gone ahead, Bob Atkinson of a travel website said.

"Customers now need reassurance that they will not see problems further down the road and it is time that the split-up of the BAA monopoly at London and in Scotland is resolved once and for all," Mr Atkinson said.

"When will the sale of Stansted and Edinburgh or Glasgow International go through and help to prevent consumers being held hostage to one union in the future?"