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
Aug 21, 2019, 2:30 am
#1171
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 887
Make a list of other routes / airlines that will allow you to get to your destination on the day in question if it falls on a potential strike day. This way you can present your preferred re-routing / re-booking option to BA without potentially losing your non refundable bookings.
Aug 21, 2019, 2:34 am
#1172
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
Make a list of other routes / airlines that will allow you to get to your destination on the day in question if it falls on a potential strike day. This way you can present your preferred re-routing / re-booking option to BA without potentially losing your non refundable bookings.
Still not sure if would rebook if strike was the day before? I know our aircraft would not be in the right place but would they allocate another one already sat at LGW? Flying out at 11.20 so quite early really after a strike might end at midnight the day before.
Aug 21, 2019, 2:41 am
#1173
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: 63,804
Aug 21, 2019, 5:15 am
#1175
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: JER
Programs: BA Gold/OWE, several MUCCI, and assorted Pensions!
Posts: 32,145
At least FR pax seem to be off the hook for now ... BBC report timed at 1205 today.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49421426
The High Court in Dublin has blocked a proposed strike by Ireland-based Ryanair pilots on Thursday and Friday.
Ryanair's lawyers in Ireland told the court that the pilots union, which represents around 180 Ryanair pilots, had not let talks reach a conclusion before announcing the strike.
A London court is still hearing an urgent attempt by the airline to block a much larger strike by [their] British pilots.
A judgement at that hearing is expected imminently.
Ryanair's lawyers in Ireland told the court that the pilots union, which represents around 180 Ryanair pilots, had not let talks reach a conclusion before announcing the strike.
A London court is still hearing an urgent attempt by the airline to block a much larger strike by [their] British pilots.
A judgement at that hearing is expected imminently.
Aug 21, 2019, 5:31 am
#1176
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
Aug 21, 2019, 5:51 am
#1177
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 218
At least FR pax seem to be off the hook for now ... BBC report timed at 1205 today.
This block only covers 160 pilots out of Dublin which is a tiny portion of Ryanair's pilot staff. Think the UK one is something like 1600 pilots and no decision on that one yet.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49421426
This block only covers 160 pilots out of Dublin which is a tiny portion of Ryanair's pilot staff. Think the UK one is something like 1600 pilots and no decision on that one yet.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49421426
Aug 21, 2019, 6:10 am
#1178
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Bombay
Programs: EC Blue, EB Silver, FB Gold
Posts: 551
To be honest I find this radio silence from BALPA slightly odd. Not that this is a popularity contest, but just reading the number of posts threatening or actively telling stories of booking away from BA it could be construed that the union is actively using uncertainty as a weapon. No strike, no bad PR - but a financial loss for BA. Am I being paranoid or over thinking?
Aug 21, 2019, 6:34 am
#1179
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
@ RoyalSwazi - am inclined to agree that the silence is rather odd, prolonging as it inevitably does a) the mood of anxiety in (some) travellers with existing BA bookings, and b) a reluctance to make forward bookings amidst continuing uncertainty.
Can’t find the official statement right now but am pretty sure that BA did say - shortly after ACAS talks had come to a close - that they had issued their ‘final offer’ and that it was now for BALPA to determine their own position.
That being so, it seems very unlikely that there is any possibility of further talks ..... whether ’secretly’ behind the scenes OR in the more conventional, ‘open’ way. There seems very little point - if any - in arranging any such talks unless BA did not actually mean .... er ...... final offer when they referred to a final offer.
Can’t find the official statement right now but am pretty sure that BA did say - shortly after ACAS talks had come to a close - that they had issued their ‘final offer’ and that it was now for BALPA to determine their own position.
That being so, it seems very unlikely that there is any possibility of further talks ..... whether ’secretly’ behind the scenes OR in the more conventional, ‘open’ way. There seems very little point - if any - in arranging any such talks unless BA did not actually mean .... er ...... final offer when they referred to a final offer.
Aug 21, 2019, 7:33 am
#1181
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,613
I don't really see the point of constantly asking. When the decision is made, everyone will soon know about it...
Aug 21, 2019, 7:34 am
#1182
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,196
Aug 21, 2019, 8:00 am
#1184
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: UK/France
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hertz Gold, Avis Preferred, Honours Silver, Marriott, Hyatt, IHG
Posts: 274
Interesting - spoke with a few BA pilots yesterday - their understanding was that BALPA had given BA a final final deadline of noon today. Its 1500 now. No announcement seen.
Aug 21, 2019, 8:08 am
#1185
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
Because I'm stressed out about it, trying to find time to investigate alternative routes and airlines and then hotels at 2 destinations near the 2 possible airports in Cyprus for a variety of dates, which I shouldn't have to be doing as I booked these flights last year, but need to be prepared so I can make an instant decision if strike dates are announced for when I call BA to rebook.