Iain Dowie coined the term bouncebackability, but he did not want to see a demonstration here, as Hull appeared on course for the first away win in over a year, only to lose thanks to two Portsmouth goals in the dying minutes. Dowie's appointment was not popular, but it was beginning to look inspired as both Hull goals were scored by Caleb Folan, a player who had not appeared for the club since August.

Both sides began tenaciously, but it was the visitors who forced the first chance. Kevin Kilbane, another player recalled to the starting line-up by Dowie, chipped a dainty cross to the back post for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the fourth minute. The Dutchman leapt well and directed his header towards the other corner, only for it to bounce out off the upright.

Three minutes later Portsmouth came close, Marc Wilson curling a free-kick fractionally wide from 25 yards. Goalmouth action then dried up for a while, as both sides betrayed a stark lack of creative quality, although it did remain an intensely contested game.

Wilson fired another shot just wide in the 23rd minute and Nadir Belhadj did likewise moments later. The fact that Portsmouth were restricted to long-range attempts would have pleased Dowie, who has made it clear that shoring up Hull's defence – the most porous in the league – is a prerequisite for survival. In the 27th minute the new boss's mood was lifted even higher, when a Jimmy Bullard corner was cleared to the edge of the area and Craig Fagan cracked a hopeful low shot goalwards. It skimmed through a slew of players and into the net via a slight touch from Folan, who scored his first goal in a year and a half.

Now it was Portsmouth who had to show that quality famously extolled by Dowie. And they did so, equalising within 10 minutes. This goal also came from a corner and was as messy as Hull's had been. Frédéric Piquionne rose highest at the back post to head down Jamie O'Hara's delivery, and Tommy Smith scuffed the bouncing ball into the net from close range.

Thereafter the skirmishing resumed, Hull's Bullard seemingly the only player capable of injecting occasional class. His visionary range of passing meant Hull continued to carry a threat even if the match was mostly scrappy. It was after a move orchestrated by Bullard in the 41st minute that Dean Marney fired just wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Portsmouth improved in the second half as Wilson, deployed in midfield rather than his customary centre-back position, grew in influence. Boaz Myhill was seldom troubled, however, due to a combination of Pompey's haplessness around the area and determined defending by Hull, as exemplified by a Paul McShane block on a Smith shot in the 61st minute.

In the 70th minute Dowie introduced Richard Garcia for Vennegor of Hesselink and that proved judicious, as within three minutes the new arrival split the Pompey defence with a pass, leaving Folan to slot the ball past the out-rushing James.

In the 90th minute O'Hara curled in a free-kick from the edge of the area, and fewer than 60 seconds later Belhadj broke down the left and crossed to Nwankwo Kanu, who shot into the net from eight yards.

BA says its contingency measures for three-day strike are off to a 'good start', while Unite union talks of planes stacking up

The first day of a three-day strike by British Airways' cabin crew is under way with unions and management in dispute about its impact on passengers.

The airline said its contingency plans for dealing with the strike, which include using 1,000 volunteer cabin crew and 22 chartered jets, had got off to a "good start".

But the Unite union, which represents the crew, said the number of planes stacking up at airports across the country because of the strike was growing, with 85 parked at Heathrow, 20 at Cardiff and 20 in Shannon.

The union said its 12,000 members were solidly supporting the walkout and that none of the buses that normally transport crew to work had crossed picket lines.

A BA spokeswoman said: "We aim to fly as many customers as we can this weekend. At Heathrow and Gatwick we have got off to a good start. London City is operating as normal.

"Cabin crew are reporting as normal at Gatwick and the numbers reporting at Heathrow are above the levels we need to operate our published schedule.

"This is the biggest contingency plan we have ever launched."

BA is planning to operate all long-haul flights to and from Gatwick plus around half of short-haul flights, while all flights to and from London City Airport are expected to fly as scheduled.

BA said 65% of passengers would still be able to reach their destination during the strike, although 1,100 of the 1,950 scheduled flights would be cancelled. BA is using 1,000 volunteer cabin crew and 22 chartered jets, including three Ryanair planes complete with flight attendants.

The company said it was confident of handling around 49,000 passengers today and the same number tomorrow, as against about 75,000 for a normal weekend day in March. It has arranged with more than 60 other airlines to take BA customers on their flights.

Another four days of industrial action are set to begin on 27 March and further action is expected from mid-April unless the deadlock is broken.

Last-ditch talks between BA and Unite collapsed acrimoniously yesterday, with the airline management warning that unless a new framework were drawn up it would scrap an agreement that gives shop stewards the use of company offices and time off to represent members.

Unite's joint leader, Tony Woodley, accused BA of wanting a "war" with the union and complained that the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, had tabled a worse offer than one withdrawn last week.

Woodley said today that he had been set "mission impossible" because of the new offer, which included a four-year pay deal which the union maintained would at best freeze wages until 2014.

The union had offered a 2.6% pay cut this year as part of a three-year deal.

Woodley said: "The disruption that passengers will inevitably experience over the next three days could have been spared had BA grasped that you cannot put an offer on the table one day, take it off the next and then come back with a worse one a few days later."

A Unite spokesman added: "The support we are getting shows how strongly people feel about this and is in spite of the bullying by management.

"Willie Walsh's appeal for people to cross our picket lines has obviously not worked."

One industrial relations expert said if BA ended its current arrangement with Unite, which stipulates how much work airline employees can do for the union and what facilities they can use, it would reduce co-operation to the "bare minimum".

The failure of the peace talks is a bitter blow to Gordon Brown, who is desperate to banish the spectre of large-scale industrial action 46 days before the likely election date.

The prime minister has urged the two sides to resolve the dispute, but today the Conservative leader David Cameron accused him of failing to act because Unite is "bankrolling" the Labour Party.