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 27, 2019, 6:56 pm
#602
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,382
Let's say that a strike is announced for (random date) August 16th, timed to mess up everbody's weekend plans. Will there also be an announcement of how long the strike will be? And would it be a short one, like the announced Unite strikes? Would BA immediately start cancelling bookings for those possibly affected, or would they continue negotiations/wait to see what happens until closer to the actual date?
I don't expect BA to start cancelling flights straight away I’d hope they used the time to get round the negotiating table hoping the strikes don’t materialise.
With the Moxed Fleet crews once dated were set, BA tried to juggle with WW and EF amalgamating flights, putting larger aircraft on routes where possible and cancelling frequent WW routes eg JFK for vulnerable MF flights. With pilots it’s a bit more pressing and more of them seem to be in the union so it would be dependant on non union member pilots and union members that don’t strike.
Not great in the grand scheme of things so a very interesting 72hrs.
Jul 27, 2019, 10:19 pm
#603
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 24
I think it's all posturing, and that they'll cave - 11.5% is 3.7%/year, which isn't all that much to people who feel they're effectively owed back pay. Or maybe that's just me trying to calm myself down?
Jul 27, 2019, 10:51 pm
#604
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London Stratford, E7
Programs: BAEC Gold! Thanks to FT
Posts: 3,382
If the first date is 14 days out from the announcement, BA has, for that date, 0 days to rebook or cancel that day's flights with no EC261 implications. They may be spooked enough to do so.
I think it's all posturing, and that they'll cave - 11.5% is 3.7%/year, which isn't all that much to people who feel they're effectively owed back pay. Or maybe that's just me trying to calm myself down?
I think it's all posturing, and that they'll cave - 11.5% is 3.7%/year, which isn't all that much to people who feel they're effectively owed back pay. Or maybe that's just me trying to calm myself down?
Also, Considering BA don’t know the implications of the strikes it would be difficult to cancel plans effectively. Who knows this is purely speculation.
Jul 27, 2019, 11:05 pm
#605
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 24
The fact that they didn't announce dates means I have no way to rebook my FRA-LHR flight (4 passengers w/checked bags, 18k + $110) cheaply. So it may be gracious of them, but it makes it very inconvenient/risky/scary for those of us right around the 2-week mark.
Had I had some bargaining power with BA, I maybe could've switched to FRA-LCY with them (same price but on CityFlyer), or would've been able to cancel and book FRA-LHR on LH with UA miles (32k + ~$200). I have the feeling the first option will be gone, and with the rebooking fee on the second pushing the total taxes/fees to $600, my only reasonable alternative is a rental car.
Had I had some bargaining power with BA, I maybe could've switched to FRA-LCY with them (same price but on CityFlyer), or would've been able to cancel and book FRA-LHR on LH with UA miles (32k + ~$200). I have the feeling the first option will be gone, and with the rebooking fee on the second pushing the total taxes/fees to $600, my only reasonable alternative is a rental car.
Jul 28, 2019, 2:20 am
#606
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
I think people need to manage their expectations here. The Pilots strike cannot be compared with the Mixed fleet cabin crew strike. BA was able to mitigate against the effects of that strike by a combination of using other crew, like Worldwide, Gatwick etc, and bringing in leased aircraft, and getting office staff to work as cabin crew. That will not happen if the Pilots are forced to strike. The 500 non BALPA Pilots are mostly Management, Standards/Fleet management Captains, who whilst they will be able to work, also have many other duties to keep the airline running so they cannot fly full time. The rest of the Pilot force is pretty much 1 uniform body who watched with horror the the way BA treated the Mixed fleet strike, and have no intention of falling into that trap.
I understand BA have been looking around to see what aircraft the could possibly lease. There is not much availability in this busy summer period. There is always the possibility of Qatar, but the Europeans will put pressure on the CAA not to allow after last time. The other carriers have very little availability to rebook, as most of their flights are full.
BALPA will be able to cause a total shut down of BA at LHR and LGW. If this forces BA to put the lawyers back in their box and get back to negotiating then this would only need to last a few hours. If BA dig in and try to get aggressive then prepare for the worst.
I understand BA have been looking around to see what aircraft the could possibly lease. There is not much availability in this busy summer period. There is always the possibility of Qatar, but the Europeans will put pressure on the CAA not to allow after last time. The other carriers have very little availability to rebook, as most of their flights are full.
BALPA will be able to cause a total shut down of BA at LHR and LGW. If this forces BA to put the lawyers back in their box and get back to negotiating then this would only need to last a few hours. If BA dig in and try to get aggressive then prepare for the worst.
Jul 28, 2019, 3:35 am
#609
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,850
Had I had some bargaining power with BA, I maybe could've switched to FRA-LCY with them (same price but on CityFlyer), or would've been able to cancel and book FRA-LHR on LH with UA miles (32k + ~$200). I have the feeling the first option will be gone, and with the rebooking fee on the second pushing the total taxes/fees to $600, my only reasonable alternative is a rental car.
In the case of FRA I wouldn't be concerned, unless you were very time specific. There are quite a number of other options to get to FRA, and between the other operators that BA can rebook passengers and the easy train network from FRA to a range of other airports, I really doubt you would have an issue. Iberia and Aer Lingus also operate these services as was as BACF too, so the list of alternative ways of travelling must run into the dozens. The thing to prepare for - if there are dates announced next week - is whether you can move by a day or two and/or LCY gives an option, this probably needs swift action. So keep an eye on this thread. If you are more relaxed then I suspect later on other options will still be available. BA can ticket on to Lufthansa and Eurowings, for example.
To answer the issue about the Orlando, for that flight to be affected, it would need to be announced to include 14 August. 15 August would not affect you, 13 August might, but there is a good chance that Orlando will run with non union pilots anyway, as a conjecture on my part. JFK-LGW probably would not. There are also other rebooking options involving TPA, MIA and/or AA. So it's not the worst spot from whence to start travelling.
Jul 28, 2019, 3:58 am
#611
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,568
I wonder what is BA staff behavior when strike starts (say 14 August) and the longhaul crew/ac is on a fareaway place (say HKG). AF staff usually fly that day (14 August) back from HKG in order to get back home. Is that typically the same for BA staff?
Jul 28, 2019, 4:08 am
#612
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
If BA allow it that would be the normal result.
Jul 28, 2019, 4:17 am
#614
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,596
Jul 28, 2019, 4:47 am
#615
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 59K
Posts: 2,301
Making no comment regarding strikes.
I don’t think that’s right. Crew down route will generally not strike. However, Heathrow cannot accommodate more aircraft than scheduled and if the crew downroute fly home there are no crew ready to restart the service when the strike is over and the first aircraft arrives
I don’t think that’s right. Crew down route will generally not strike. However, Heathrow cannot accommodate more aircraft than scheduled and if the crew downroute fly home there are no crew ready to restart the service when the strike is over and the first aircraft arrives