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
Oct 10, 2019, 4:04 pm
#2463
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,105
Yes, I have wondered this too. His nationality is also alluded to rather more frequently than is comfortable for my tastes. It sometimes feels like people are blaming Johnny Foreigner for ruining their beloved BRITISH Airways.
Oct 11, 2019, 6:52 am
#2464
Suspended
Join Date: May 2011
Location: London
Programs: *A G, OW S.
Posts: 996
I saw the piece in The Times too, I was rather amazed that Wee Willie was claiming he would be able to do a better job than Cruz because he understood pilots.
If he's so capable, why has all this gone on so long? A dispute with the pilots of the largest IAG carrier must surely be something that the CEO would be taking an active interest in and looking to get it resolved in advance of strikes never mind now.
I don't know why but I just didn't believe Wee Willie's ramblings.
If he's so capable, why has all this gone on so long? A dispute with the pilots of the largest IAG carrier must surely be something that the CEO would be taking an active interest in and looking to get it resolved in advance of strikes never mind now.
I don't know why but I just didn't believe Wee Willie's ramblings.
Oct 28, 2019, 8:00 am
#2468
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 516
I got my email confirming my duty of care payment over the weekend. Good result for me as I was in no rush to get home and they covered costs for the 3 days it was going to take them to get us on a direct flight home. Wish I’d kept more food and drinks receipts now, but getting the hotels fully paid was a good result on its own!
Oct 28, 2019, 2:32 pm
#2474
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC GGL, HH DIAMOND, AVIS Presidents Club, Karahi Express
Posts: 1,229
Oct 31, 2019, 5:44 am
#2475
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,398
https://www.theguardian.com/business...ss-pay-dispute
In the absence of any fresh news on the dispute, I thought this piece from The Guardian might be of interest to FT-ers.
I’m conscious that the same subject matter was touched on above, prompted by lorcancoyle’s post #2462. And the Guardian article itself, first published October 10, is now around three weeks old.
There are distinctly mixed messages in these rather odd comments by WW. It’s difficult to interpret his true perspective on the strike - but I’ll give it a shot !
There seems little doubt that if Walsh really wanted to settle the dispute, then he would not remain ‘on the sidelines’ merely like some sort of interested observer, in the way he chooses to portray himself in the speech. It follows therefore that he is, in truth, happy with the wall of resistance put up by Sñr Cruz versus BALPA ; and that he & Cruz are both following the very same hymn sheet - even if not quite singing together in public. But he also wishes to be seen (based on the comments quoted) as allowing Cruz total autonomy, so that if things go horribly wrong - and if further IAG profits warnings become necessary - then he can conveniently blame Cruz (perhaps even remove him ?) with a it-was-all-his-fault line of reasoning.
In short, I feel WW is taking his audience for fools ; and that his comments are dishonest at worst, and disingenuous at best.
In the absence of any fresh news on the dispute, I thought this piece from The Guardian might be of interest to FT-ers.
I’m conscious that the same subject matter was touched on above, prompted by lorcancoyle’s post #2462. And the Guardian article itself, first published October 10, is now around three weeks old.
There are distinctly mixed messages in these rather odd comments by WW. It’s difficult to interpret his true perspective on the strike - but I’ll give it a shot !
There seems little doubt that if Walsh really wanted to settle the dispute, then he would not remain ‘on the sidelines’ merely like some sort of interested observer, in the way he chooses to portray himself in the speech. It follows therefore that he is, in truth, happy with the wall of resistance put up by Sñr Cruz versus BALPA ; and that he & Cruz are both following the very same hymn sheet - even if not quite singing together in public. But he also wishes to be seen (based on the comments quoted) as allowing Cruz total autonomy, so that if things go horribly wrong - and if further IAG profits warnings become necessary - then he can conveniently blame Cruz (perhaps even remove him ?) with a it-was-all-his-fault line of reasoning.
In short, I feel WW is taking his audience for fools ; and that his comments are dishonest at worst, and disingenuous at best.