Jul 20, 2019, 3:27 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
Quick answers to FAQ:
Help! What do I do now?
Most importantly, don't panic and don't do anything in haste. Read these FAQ. Read the thread, particularly the posts starting from the time that the strike dates were announced. Identify your options. Think about what works for you. Then take action. If you do anything in haste, you may have thrown away good options, or you may have thrown away money that you needn't have spent.
NOTE: Some emails have been sent out by mistake notifying the cancellation of flights on 8 September and other dates. If your booking still looks OK in MMB then you don't need to take further action. A cancelled flight should be shown in MMB with struck-through text. If your flight details are not struck through, then it probably hasn't actually been cancelled. You could check ba.com to see whether BA is still taking reservations for the flight in question. If so, then the flight has not been cancelled. You may also try checking on ExpertFlyer, if you have access, to see whether your flight appears still to be operating and whether BA is still taking reservations. However, some afternoon/evening flights on 8 September have genuinely been cancelled. See main thread for details.
Has a strike been called yet?
Yes. BALPA, the pilots' union, has voted in favour of strike action, and the Court of Appeal has rejected BA's submission to have the poll set aside, so the legal process is now over. The two parties went back into talks after the legal proceedings and those talks were expected to continue into the week of 5 August.
BALPA on 23 Aug announced strikes on Monday 9 September Tuesday 10 September and Friday 27 September.
Any further strikes normally require 2 weeks notice under UK legislation.
What flights may be affected?
LHR and LGW based flights. Not LCY or STN flights. Both cabin and flight crew are in dispute with BA, but the pilots (captains, senior first officers, first officers) are closest to strike action.
How long would a strike last?
The initial strikes are for two days the a single day, with normal working in between. Any other strikes could be of any length. It would be rare in the UK for there to be a full time strike.
What would happen to my flights if it is a strike day?
A range of options have been announced, see post 1551 below for more information: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post31451055
and BA Trade Site guidance here: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...kba?faqid=7594
Rebooking is now allowed on Iberia, AA, Finnair, JAL and Qatar. Within Europe EI and Vueling are also allowed. This is for both revenue and redemption flights.
and the FAQ on BA.com here (this includes information on BA Holidays bookings which are substantially different): https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...st-information
Can I do anything with an existing booking now?
Yes. Your options are different depending on whether your flights are currently showing as cancelled or not. See the links above.
What about Heathrow staff - aren't their strikes planned there too?
Yes there is a separate dispute at the moment between Heathrow Airport (HAL) and their staff such as those who operate the security checkpoints. See the separate thread on the issue.
Am I protected by EC261 if there is a problem?
You are always covered by the Right to Care provisions of Regulation EC261. You could potentially be able to claim compensation for delays, cancellations and downgrades caused by BA staff action too, but not for HAL strikes (for cancellations only if there is flight is less than 14 day’s notice). See the main EC261 thread in the BA Forum Dashboard.
Help! What do I do now?
Most importantly, don't panic and don't do anything in haste. Read these FAQ. Read the thread, particularly the posts starting from the time that the strike dates were announced. Identify your options. Think about what works for you. Then take action. If you do anything in haste, you may have thrown away good options, or you may have thrown away money that you needn't have spent.
NOTE: Some emails have been sent out by mistake notifying the cancellation of flights on 8 September and other dates. If your booking still looks OK in MMB then you don't need to take further action. A cancelled flight should be shown in MMB with struck-through text. If your flight details are not struck through, then it probably hasn't actually been cancelled. You could check ba.com to see whether BA is still taking reservations for the flight in question. If so, then the flight has not been cancelled. You may also try checking on ExpertFlyer, if you have access, to see whether your flight appears still to be operating and whether BA is still taking reservations. However, some afternoon/evening flights on 8 September have genuinely been cancelled. See main thread for details.
Has a strike been called yet?
Yes. BALPA, the pilots' union, has voted in favour of strike action, and the Court of Appeal has rejected BA's submission to have the poll set aside, so the legal process is now over. The two parties went back into talks after the legal proceedings and those talks were expected to continue into the week of 5 August.
BALPA on 23 Aug announced strikes on Monday 9 September Tuesday 10 September and Friday 27 September.
Any further strikes normally require 2 weeks notice under UK legislation.
What flights may be affected?
LHR and LGW based flights. Not LCY or STN flights. Both cabin and flight crew are in dispute with BA, but the pilots (captains, senior first officers, first officers) are closest to strike action.
How long would a strike last?
The initial strikes are for two days the a single day, with normal working in between. Any other strikes could be of any length. It would be rare in the UK for there to be a full time strike.
What would happen to my flights if it is a strike day?
A range of options have been announced, see post 1551 below for more information: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...l#post31451055
and BA Trade Site guidance here: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...kba?faqid=7594
Rebooking is now allowed on Iberia, AA, Finnair, JAL and Qatar. Within Europe EI and Vueling are also allowed. This is for both revenue and redemption flights.
and the FAQ on BA.com here (this includes information on BA Holidays bookings which are substantially different): https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...st-information
Can I do anything with an existing booking now?
Yes. Your options are different depending on whether your flights are currently showing as cancelled or not. See the links above.
What about Heathrow staff - aren't their strikes planned there too?
Yes there is a separate dispute at the moment between Heathrow Airport (HAL) and their staff such as those who operate the security checkpoints. See the separate thread on the issue.
Am I protected by EC261 if there is a problem?
You are always covered by the Right to Care provisions of Regulation EC261. You could potentially be able to claim compensation for delays, cancellations and downgrades caused by BA staff action too, but not for HAL strikes (for cancellations only if there is flight is less than 14 day’s notice). See the main EC261 thread in the BA Forum Dashboard.
LHR/LGW pilots (BALPA) industrial action 9 Sep, 10 Sep, and 27 Sep
Sep 17, 2019, 12:24 pm
#2221
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,448
It seems both airlines are taking a hard line with BALPA unfortunately from a traveller looking to avoid disruption perspective.
Sep 17, 2019, 12:50 pm
#2222
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,612
Sep 17, 2019, 1:38 pm
#2223
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
Well BALPA don't seem to be having as much of an impact in Ryan Air pilots dispute. I just checked in for a brief hop over the Irish Sea tomorrow to be greeted by a Web page banner saying that despite a strike planned for tomorrow a full schedule is expected as normal..... I guess we will see.
It seems both airlines are taking a hard line with BALPA unfortunately from a traveller looking to avoid disruption perspective.
It seems both airlines are taking a hard line with BALPA unfortunately from a traveller looking to avoid disruption perspective.
Sep 17, 2019, 1:50 pm
#2224
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: YYZ
Programs: BA Gold/Marriott Gold/HH Diamond/IC Plat Amba
Posts: 5,989
The Economist is saying that 'Ryanair and Norwegian, a low-cost rival, have now hired and trained too many pilots, and in Britain are trying to lay off hundreds of them.' If Ryanair has too many pilots then perhaps it can maintain the flying schedule even during the strike.
Sep 17, 2019, 2:00 pm
#2225
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Internautes Amables; BAEC
Posts: 970
Wow. Just seen the spiteful email to pilots from ‘People Services’ advising of the loss of pay (I guess expected, but calculated as aggressively as possible) and the incredibly spiteful loss of staff travel for 3 years (including the cancellation of existing bookings). they will also lose their eligibility for the ‘All Colleague Bonus’ and the Pilot Only Deferred Bonus. They will also no longer be eligible for fleet transfers in LH.
What I find rather astounding is that this will only be applied to those unfortunate enough to work on the strike days. I get the loss of pay, but given only 10-15% of pilots report on any given day, the punishment seems way out of kilter to me.
What I find rather astounding is that this will only be applied to those unfortunate enough to work on the strike days. I get the loss of pay, but given only 10-15% of pilots report on any given day, the punishment seems way out of kilter to me.
Sep 17, 2019, 2:07 pm
#2226
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Surrey
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, Eurostar CB, IHG Spire, Hilton Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz President Circle
Posts: 435
Sep 17, 2019, 2:51 pm
#2227
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,448
Understood, but also if all their UK based BALPA members did strike you'd expect at least the odd cancellation surely. That said if the other posts about an excess of pilots is also the case then that would explain it.
Sep 17, 2019, 3:01 pm
#2228
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Internautes Amables; BAEC
Posts: 970
Not sure it will work: the pilots are pledging to support each other with pcm contributions.
The bit that has shocked me, upon further discussion, is that rostered pilots are not being permitted to assist with Flight Ops service recovery the days after the striking days (i.e. 5 day roster starting on the 11th means they cannot work the 12th onwards) yet BA are sending under-crewed aircraft on LH routes, putting 2 FC on a JFK trip instead of 3 etc. It is still within the strict limits of what is permitted but more what one would expect on Ryanair. THe reasons I fly BA - pilots operating well within safety margins for tiredness etc - are being ignored.
Also there is clear evidence that pilots are being rostered onto already over-rostered flights (eg 7 rostered for a SH route on the 27th) to then ensure they are picked up by the striking penalties.
What annoys me is that BA repeatedly claim to want to limit the impact on passengers, but the behaviour I’ve seen evidence of this evening suggests we are just collateral damage, and that the dirty tricks are in play that won’t solve this quickly.
Stand by for more strikes: this is not going to end any time soon, by the looks of it.
The bit that has shocked me, upon further discussion, is that rostered pilots are not being permitted to assist with Flight Ops service recovery the days after the striking days (i.e. 5 day roster starting on the 11th means they cannot work the 12th onwards) yet BA are sending under-crewed aircraft on LH routes, putting 2 FC on a JFK trip instead of 3 etc. It is still within the strict limits of what is permitted but more what one would expect on Ryanair. THe reasons I fly BA - pilots operating well within safety margins for tiredness etc - are being ignored.
Also there is clear evidence that pilots are being rostered onto already over-rostered flights (eg 7 rostered for a SH route on the 27th) to then ensure they are picked up by the striking penalties.
What annoys me is that BA repeatedly claim to want to limit the impact on passengers, but the behaviour I’ve seen evidence of this evening suggests we are just collateral damage, and that the dirty tricks are in play that won’t solve this quickly.
Stand by for more strikes: this is not going to end any time soon, by the looks of it.
Last edited by TheJayHatch; Sep 17, 2019 at 3:38 pm Reason: Autocorrect
Sep 17, 2019, 3:03 pm
#2229
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 2,220
Wow. Just seen the spiteful email to pilots from ‘People Services’ advising of the loss of pay (I guess expected, but calculated as aggressively as possible) and the incredibly spiteful loss of staff travel for 3 years (including the cancellation of existing bookings). they will also lose their eligibility for the ‘All Colleague Bonus’ and the Pilot Only Deferred Bonus. They will also no longer be eligible for fleet transfers in LH.
What I find rather astounding is that this will only be applied to those unfortunate enough to work on the strike days. I get the loss of pay, but given only 10-15% of pilots report on any given day, the punishment seems way out of kilter to me.
What I find rather astounding is that this will only be applied to those unfortunate enough to work on the strike days. I get the loss of pay, but given only 10-15% of pilots report on any given day, the punishment seems way out of kilter to me.
Sep 17, 2019, 3:07 pm
#2230
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
At that point, though, BA's shareholders would be much worse off than they are now. If it is ultimately to shareholders that BA's management has to answer, they may be being asked some questions at that time.
Sep 17, 2019, 3:42 pm
#2232
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: Mucci Chevalier des Internautes Amables; BAEC
Posts: 970
OT, Booked my first Lufthansa flight to Germany yesterday. Wasn’t a strike day, but it was 40% cheaper in J than BA in Y and I am starting to wonder whether my allegiance is pointless.
Sep 17, 2019, 4:18 pm
#2233
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Cardiff, Wales
Programs: BAEC - Blue :-(
Posts: 119
Hi. Have a look at the help desk thread, it sets out in the wiki what would happen in the case of a cancellation. You would be rebooked on another carrier basically. Reward and revenue bookings are treated the same.
Help Desk: practical assistance for those affected by strikes on 9, 10, 27 Sep
Help Desk: practical assistance for those affected by strikes on 9, 10, 27 Sep
.