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LHR/LGW pilots (BALPA) industrial action 9 Sep, 10 Sep, and 27 Sep

Old Jul 20, 2019, 3:27 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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 days notice). See the main EC261 thread in the BA Forum Dashboard.
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LHR/LGW pilots (BALPA) industrial action 9 Sep, 10 Sep, and 27 Sep

Old Aug 22, 2019, 12:15 am
  #1231  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,587
Originally Posted by paulaf
If I decide to stay for 2 nights longer say to avoid leaving holiday a day early, will BA pay for the hotel?
They must do by law. EU261 duty of care applies whatever the reason. You may not get delay/cancellation compensation but hotels/meals etc must be paid.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 2:11 am
  #1232  
 
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I totally get the people on this thread saying "whatever happens happens" etc, but it's not the same when someone has worked hard and is looking forward to their first holiday in a year... they're not going to feel the same way.

In the last few weeks on the run up to a holiday people should be excited, not worried about whether their flight is going ahead.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 2:49 am
  #1233  
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Originally Posted by rapidex
They must do by law. EU261 duty of care applies whatever the reason. You may not get delay/cancellation compensation but hotels/meals etc must be paid.
Almost certainly Article 7 compensation will be payable in this specific case, in the event of delays and cancellations leading to delays. And you're right to highlight the Right to Care provisions which are open ended.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 3:27 am
  #1234  
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Originally Posted by rapidex
They must do by law. EU261 duty of care applies whatever the reason. You may not get delay/cancellation compensation but hotels/meals etc must be paid.
Indeed.
But BA might not pay up to the cost you might incur in a luxury hotel.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 3:56 am
  #1235  
 
Join Date: May 2010
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If I could extend my stay in the villa instead would BA pay for the necessary nights there if I provide receipts? Any contribution would be great.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:07 am
  #1236  
 
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Originally Posted by paulaf
If I could extend my stay in the villa instead would BA pay for the necessary nights there if I provide receipts? Any contribution would be great.
BA have an policy of 200 per night for hotels, EU261 says they must provide accommodation but dont cap a price so if all the hotels in your area are 300 then screenshot the evidence to show the rate. Depends what the nightly rate is for the villa and for how many, if its comparable with a hotel then go fo it, I cant see BA being unreasonable in denying this claim as they have to provide a duty of care.

if its more expensive than a hotel expect BA to put a cap on it. If you do need to travel to/from the accommodation then keep receipts.

I know its easier said said than done but stop worrying, IF a strike is announced BALPA might say 26 and 27 Sept and BA maybe gets 30 flights out on each day, you might not be travelling on that day and your flight could be one of the 30 that operate.

Also. If BALPA say right strikes 15 16 Sept. 25 and 26 Sep. 1 Oct and 3 Oct it doesnt mean strikes will happen on those days, a strike date merely puts a bit of pressure on BA which will hopefully allow either talks to resume or the strikes called off by BALPA.

From what ive seen BALPA seem to be reasonable over this is not scheduling strikes whilst the legal challenge and appeal took place, not scheduling strikes whilst talks undertaken, helped BA out in their IT issue and said they wouldnt announce strikes over a weekend. Whilst the aim of a strike is to cause disruption, BALPa wont go for the jugular yet unless BA are totally unreasonable.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:13 am
  #1237  
 
Join Date: May 2010
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Thanks the villa is less than 200 per night so that might be ok, I'll ask for receipts and also for extending the hire car.
I agree with what you're saying but they might not get called off until the last minute or I wouldn't know if my flight was one of the lucky ones operating until the day before so I need contingency.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:24 am
  #1238  
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 133
Originally Posted by paulaf
Thanks the villa is less than 200 per night so that might be ok, I'll ask for receipts and also for extending the hire car.
I agree with what you're saying but they might not get called off until the last minute or I wouldn't know if my flight was one of the lucky ones operating until the day before so I need contingency.
You can organise contingency, but it would be at your own cost if a strike doesn't transpire to affect you. If you're very worried then book a refundable hotel of your choosing that's in a sensible price bracket.

Are strikes inconvenient? Yes, but you can minimise inconvenience if you're worried. Might you need to move hotels? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes. Is it better than having to pay yourself? Absolutely.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:33 am
  #1239  
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eek ... Travel Insurance

For years I have travelled with the comfort of having AXA travel insurance bundled free with my Lloyds Gold account. The discussion here has inspired me to look at the details, where I find that cover expires at age 75! Help!! I have until October to sort out alternative cover!

Glad I checked!!
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:37 am
  #1240  
 
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I recognise the point made above that BALPA have made every effort to adopt the most ‘reasonable’ approach throughout this process. They deserve credit for that.

However ...... accepting also that there are almost certainly things happening behind the scenes, to which few (if any ?) of us are privy, I do think there comes a point when BALPA could be deemed to be prolonging uncertainty - by which I mean, more so than BA. One could say that BA have at least made their position clear (wrongly or rightly) with the reported ‘final offer’ and that BALPA should therefore have decided by now what their own final position is, one way or the other.

I wonder whether BALPA are perhaps risking (some) loss of support with what might be seen as prevarication .... ?
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:42 am
  #1241  
 
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if you decide to do take a refund in case of flight cancellation can you still get EU261 comp?
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:42 am
  #1242  
 
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Originally Posted by subject2load
I recognise the point made above that BALPA have made every effort to adopt the most ‘reasonable’ approach throughout this process. They deserve credit for that.

However ...... accepting also that there are almost certainly things happening behind the scenes, to which few (if any ?) of us are privy, I do think there comes a point when BALPA could be deemed to be prolonging uncertainty - and more so than BA. One could say that BA have at least made their position clear (wrongly or rightly) with the reported ‘final offer’ and that BALPA should therefore have decided by now what their own final position is, one way or the other.

I wonder whether BALPA are perhaps risking (some) loss of support with what might be seen as prevarication .... ?

Agreed. At the end of the day BALPA rely heavily on press coverage to force airlines back to the negotiating table and into compromising.

Given that the Ryan Air strike is taking place today/tomorrow, I'd imagine that BALPA will hold off on announcing BA strike dates until next week to avoid missing out on potential press coverage. This is likely why no press release or further information has been published on their position of BA's latest offer.

News outlets are fixated on Ryan Air strikes at the moment, it's exactly what BALPA want/need. Why would they risk that by disrupting their own press coverage?

However, this strategy is causing maximum uncertainty for passengers. It gets to a point where passengers who were sympathetic will lose patience and want a clear understanding of what's going on. I think we're getting close to that point...
samfrost93 is offline  
Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:50 am
  #1243  
 
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Originally Posted by T8191
For years I have travelled with the comfort of having AXA travel insurance bundled free with my Lloyds Gold account. The discussion here has inspired me to look at the details, where I find that cover expires at age 75! Help!! I have until October to sort out alternative cover!

Glad I checked!!
I would have thought only medical stuff wouldn't be covered past 75. The rest should be. What you need to do is check your private medical insurance if you have one to see if they'll cover you abroad. And then call AXA and tell them to lower the fee, since they won't be covering medical anymore!
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:53 am
  #1244  
 
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Originally Posted by samfrost93

..................

However, this strategy is causing maximum uncertainty for passengers. It gets to a point where passengers who were sympathetic will lose patience and want a clear understanding of what's going on. I think we're getting close to that point...
+ 1

I really really dont wish to see a strike (I cant imagine anyone does).

But there is a fine line between BALPA being perceived as reasonable and patient ; and being seen as weak and indecisive. The latter will surely strengthen BAs own resolve.
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Old Aug 22, 2019, 4:55 am
  #1245  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Originally Posted by T8191
For years I have travelled with the comfort of having AXA travel insurance bundled free with my Lloyds Gold account. The discussion here has inspired me to look at the details, where I find that cover expires at age 75! Help!! I have until October to sort out alternative cover!

Glad I checked!!
youll be good for another 54 years then, surely? 😉
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