UK airline bmi said on Thursday it expects pilots at its no-frills division, bmibaby, to vote against a proposal to strike over pay and pensions.

"Bmibaby management remain hopeful that its pilots will reject the ballot and accept the award that all other employees have received," a bmi spokesman said.

The British Air Line Pilots' Association (BALPA) began balloting members at bmibaby, for strike action on Wednesday, with the result expected on August 16.

BALPA said it had given bmi seven days notice that it would also begin balloting members in the other two divisions of the company, bmi Mainline and bmi Regional, about strike action over an imposed 2.4 percent pay increase.

The union said it was recommending a "yes" vote and that 70 percent of bmi's 700 pilots were members.

Bmi said about 140 of bmibaby's 189 pilots were BALPA members. The company said the 2.4 percent pay award had been implemented to all other staff within the bmi group.