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
Jul 22, 2019, 12:23 pm
#406
Join Date: Feb 2014
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 263
I was thinking the same thing. The general feeling here on FT seems to be that this industrial action is supported. Outside FT however people seem to be angry that an 11.5% pay deal over 3 years has been offered and rejected and that the strike has been orchestrated to disrupt school summer holiday travel. I fear there may be very little general public support for BA staff on this one.
Jul 22, 2019, 1:00 pm
#407
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: East Anglia, England
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 2,056
As with many others, I received the pop-up message on the BA app. I'm due to fly out to the US to pick-up Mstr Hoch next week. Naturally, I'm taking a few detours along the way to get there ;-) But I suspect Mrs Hoch will be very disappointed if I do not come back with the boy on Tuesday, 06/08/19.
H
H
Jul 22, 2019, 1:01 pm
#409
Join Date: Oct 2013
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold, IHG Platinum, Hilton Gold, Hertz Presidents Circle.
Posts: 1,450
Beyond that, two work trips to MAN - LHR - ARN and return, 6th & 7th and 3rd/4th September, after that nothing until the A350 YYZ on 28th October so hopefully ti will be all done by then!
Jul 22, 2019, 1:42 pm
#411
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL (for now) and Lifetime Gold, Marriott fan thanks to Bonvoy Moments
Posts: 5,115
Any experience of original routing credit last time there were strikes? I’m on an ex-Ireland flight via LHR and east coast US (with an overnight back in London to get bags etc.) so I might be relaxed about a shorter rerouting with original TPs - if I can organise my luggage and bill BA for an extra hotel night...
Jul 22, 2019, 1:49 pm
#412
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Somewhere in the Air
Programs: BA GGL, *A Silver, OW Emerald, HH Diamond, Karahi Express
Posts: 554
Any experience of original routing credit last time there were strikes? I’m on an ex-Ireland flight via LHR and east coast US (with an overnight back in London to get bags etc.) so I might be relaxed about a shorter rerouting with original TPs - if I can organise my luggage and bill BA for an extra hotel night...
Jul 22, 2019, 2:01 pm
#413
Join Date: Mar 2009
Programs: BA Gold A3 Gold PC Platinum
Posts: 154
Just another reason not to fly BA, was about to book 3 of us to Australia in September but will switch to SQ, not going to let a bunch of well paid, greedy BA pilots stop me from seeing my daughter.
Cabin crew are the ones who deserve higher pay as they are barely on a living wage and work twice as hard as the flight crew. The pilots are perfectly well paid for what is an increasingly automated, systems monitoring roll and to reject 11.5% over 3 years and ruin tens of thousands of holidays is disgusting.
Cabin crew are the ones who deserve higher pay as they are barely on a living wage and work twice as hard as the flight crew. The pilots are perfectly well paid for what is an increasingly automated, systems monitoring roll and to reject 11.5% over 3 years and ruin tens of thousands of holidays is disgusting.
Jul 22, 2019, 2:19 pm
#415
Join Date: Jan 2015
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,630
As a matter of interest does anyone know what the average BA pilot earns? Also 11.5% over 3 years has been rejected, have the pilots said waht they are looking for instead?
Jul 22, 2019, 2:32 pm
#416
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: BA Executive Club (lowly Blue but with MUCCI, apparently)
Posts: 1,186
We are due to fly from LAX on the 6th, fly to Oslo on the 10th, and return on the 19th. I could care less about the leg to Oslo and returning on the 19th - we have travel insurance just for that type of eventuality, but I have a rather important appointment in Lancashire the morning of Thursday the 8th, so arriving LHR on Wednesday the 7th is crucial. My assumption is at this point that, with the required 2 weeks notice, if they don't come up with a date tomorrow, I should be in the clear for at least the inbound?
Jul 22, 2019, 2:33 pm
#417
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: London
Posts: 489
I'm not a big fan of industrial action, but do recognise the exceptional responsibilities that pilots have.
As a matter of interest does anyone know what the average BA pilot earns? Also 11.5% over 3 years has been rejected, have the pilots said waht they are looking for instead?
As a matter of interest does anyone know what the average BA pilot earns? Also 11.5% over 3 years has been rejected, have the pilots said waht they are looking for instead?
- £70-80k for a first year pilot all in
Jul 22, 2019, 2:41 pm
#419
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK.
Programs: SQ LPPS, A3 *G, BA Silver aiming for Bronze
Posts: 1,506
Good luck to the pilots, I hope they win their dispute and secure the pay rise they want. For too long they've watched Walsh and more latterly Cruz with their snouts in the trough taking obscene levels of money and bonuses while they treated the workforce and for that matter passengers with contempt. Let's see BA shut down until things are resolved in favour of the staff.
Jul 22, 2019, 2:44 pm
#420
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,997
based on a quick scan of pprune posts which should be fairly representative, the new pilot scale was paying roughly in 2015:
- £70-80k for a first year pilot all in