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 23, 2019, 3:44 am
#1336
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Glasgow and Asia
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 510
Also, I believe it is the BA 100 birthday weekend. I wonder if they are in the process of updating the website for a big fanfare and some "book on our birthday" and get special prices. This would account for only Y,W,J availability. PS HBO is also missing, obviously because it is not Y.
If this was the case and having previous experience of BA IT, I don't think it is any surprise that things have gone a bit Pete-Tong.
If this was the case and having previous experience of BA IT, I don't think it is any surprise that things have gone a bit Pete-Tong.
Aug 23, 2019, 4:00 am
#1337
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 47
The "Notice of Industrial Action" must contain certain information otherwise it can be challenged in court - see here (section 3A). You would think this stuff is basic but you'd be surprised what employers would seek to challenge. Specifically it must state how many people are affected, where they work, what "category of employee" they are (to help the employer plan around any action), etc.
The original court challenge by BA related to the "Notice of Ballot" (not of Action) I think, which has a very similar list of requirements. I believe BA's challenge was basically that BALPA hadn't categorised the pilots into SH and LH and so had not met the criterion to provide a list of "categories of employee". The Court disagreed with BA and found BALPA had indeed provided the required information acceptably.
In short, yes BA can challenge the Notice of Action in court, but I think it's unlikely given that they've already tried that with the Notice of Ballot and BALPA will be wise to it.
As others have said, no need to make any information public, but it's still a bit weird - most unions once they deliver that notice would want to shout about it, at least to their own members!
EDIT: I don;t actually know if a Notice of Action has been submitted yet - someone earlier in the thread wondered whether a court challenge was still possible by BA and above is an outline of how action could come about (unlikely)
The original court challenge by BA related to the "Notice of Ballot" (not of Action) I think, which has a very similar list of requirements. I believe BA's challenge was basically that BALPA hadn't categorised the pilots into SH and LH and so had not met the criterion to provide a list of "categories of employee". The Court disagreed with BA and found BALPA had indeed provided the required information acceptably.
In short, yes BA can challenge the Notice of Action in court, but I think it's unlikely given that they've already tried that with the Notice of Ballot and BALPA will be wise to it.
As others have said, no need to make any information public, but it's still a bit weird - most unions once they deliver that notice would want to shout about it, at least to their own members!
EDIT: I don;t actually know if a Notice of Action has been submitted yet - someone earlier in the thread wondered whether a court challenge was still possible by BA and above is an outline of how action could come about (unlikely)
Aug 23, 2019, 4:27 am
#1338
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: MAN
Programs: F
Posts: 2,898
Okay a heads up on my situation.
Booked to return from Nice to GLA on 11th and only Y on sale but B,C on sale on 10th and 12th. Then off from GLA-BLR on the 13th, RTN on 19th. Searching for my flights has just shown the outbound on 13th is £1400 Y, £1849 in W and £4,500 in J. Searching around those dates shows the price spike starts Sun 8th to Thurs 12th. Although I could search for the 13th, it is now showing as unavailable from Fri 13th to Mon 16th and from Fri 20th to Mon23rd. The only flights available are on Tues,Wed, Thurs right through until January. Flights on individual legs LHR-BLR are available in Y,W,J. and GLA-LHR are available on all dates but only in Y,J.
Now the Fri-Mon flights are back up with some only Y, some only Y,W and some Y,W,J.
If it was just the BALPA dates I would be worried. But it seems to be all over the place for months.
Booked to return from Nice to GLA on 11th and only Y on sale but B,C on sale on 10th and 12th. Then off from GLA-BLR on the 13th, RTN on 19th. Searching for my flights has just shown the outbound on 13th is £1400 Y, £1849 in W and £4,500 in J. Searching around those dates shows the price spike starts Sun 8th to Thurs 12th. Although I could search for the 13th, it is now showing as unavailable from Fri 13th to Mon 16th and from Fri 20th to Mon23rd. The only flights available are on Tues,Wed, Thurs right through until January. Flights on individual legs LHR-BLR are available in Y,W,J. and GLA-LHR are available on all dates but only in Y,J.
Now the Fri-Mon flights are back up with some only Y, some only Y,W and some Y,W,J.
If it was just the BALPA dates I would be worried. But it seems to be all over the place for months.
Similarly I see nothing resembling the Sept phenomenon in June next year for ICN or anywhere else for that matter.
Aug 23, 2019, 5:08 am
#1339
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: Seigneur des Tarifs Utils First Class Mucci with Honours :) - BA GGL / CCR
Posts: 1,551
Okay a heads up on my situation.
Booked to return from Nice to GLA on 11th and only Y on sale but B,C on sale on 10th and 12th. Then off from GLA-BLR on the 13th, RTN on 19th. Searching for my flights has just shown the outbound on 13th is £1400 Y, £1849 in W and £4,500 in J. Searching around those dates shows the price spike starts Sun 8th to Thurs 12th. Although I could search for the 13th, it is now showing as unavailable from Fri 13th to Mon 16th and from Fri 20th to Mon23rd. The only flights available are on Tues,Wed, Thurs right through until January. Flights on individual legs LHR-BLR are available in Y,W,J. and GLA-LHR are available on all dates but only in Y,J.
Now the Fri-Mon flights are back up with some only Y, some only Y,W and some Y,W,J.
If it was just the BALPA dates I would be worried. But it seems to be all over the place for months.
Booked to return from Nice to GLA on 11th and only Y on sale but B,C on sale on 10th and 12th. Then off from GLA-BLR on the 13th, RTN on 19th. Searching for my flights has just shown the outbound on 13th is £1400 Y, £1849 in W and £4,500 in J. Searching around those dates shows the price spike starts Sun 8th to Thurs 12th. Although I could search for the 13th, it is now showing as unavailable from Fri 13th to Mon 16th and from Fri 20th to Mon23rd. The only flights available are on Tues,Wed, Thurs right through until January. Flights on individual legs LHR-BLR are available in Y,W,J. and GLA-LHR are available on all dates but only in Y,J.
Now the Fri-Mon flights are back up with some only Y, some only Y,W and some Y,W,J.
If it was just the BALPA dates I would be worried. But it seems to be all over the place for months.
This backs up my point earlier that this is an IT issue and not strike related but the hysteria has already started
Aug 23, 2019, 5:57 am
#1340
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Home: East Mids UK - Work (Base): Accra, Ghana.
Programs: BAEC: Silver - Marriott: Titanium
Posts: 12,086
I think that's more likely to maybe be Sale fares being loaded, possibly? (VS have started a Sale I called the bing bong sale -
It's not unusual for BA to launch one when Virgin do.
paging @BingBongBoy, are you flying with the Bearded airline now?
They're using your copyrighted name without your permission?
It's not unusual for BA to launch one when Virgin do.
paging @BingBongBoy, are you flying with the Bearded airline now?
They're using your copyrighted name without your permission?
I just fly one person now...
Aug 23, 2019, 6:55 am
#1342
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Aug 23, 2019, 7:52 am
#1345
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,243
as I had to book flights and amend etc I did ask the question. (11ty sept and 13th sept) The lady said it’s for operational reasons but didn’t want to go further.
she did say that there is a separate it issue which prevented me to book flights in the first place and she said it does effect quite a few customers.
So I’m quite suspicious as well however no solid conformation either.
she did say that there is a separate it issue which prevented me to book flights in the first place and she said it does effect quite a few customers.
So I’m quite suspicious as well however no solid conformation either.
Aug 23, 2019, 7:54 am
#1346
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: 63,851
Having been on the receiving end of this in the dim distant past, what happens at a press offices is that you get a call come in from a journalist. If the question is on the daily Talking Points or its equivalent then you give the answer straight off. If not (and this fare anomaly won't be on the Talking Points) then you say "OK, I'll check that out and come back to you". Having checked up the line you will either get an answer or - for all sorts of good reasons - you find there isn't an answer that the organisation wishes or is able to give. And in this situation the press office probably doesn't want to say anything specific about their internal fare operations anyway, equally if industrial relations are at a sensitive point then you won't want to go beyond the general statements in the Talking Points. At which point you go back to the journalist to say "yes I've checked, but we have nothing more to add". This is conjecture but I wouldn't read anything at all in what the media team is or is not saying.
Aug 23, 2019, 7:58 am
#1347
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Well, I’ve got the press release about the 100th birthday weekend and it looks like the only thing not already announced is some bunting at check in desks and Hotel Chocolat on short haul :-)
Aug 23, 2019, 8:01 am
#1348
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: 63,851
There is a large Hotel Chocolat exhibit in the form of a BA 747 (I think, I rushed past at silly-o-clock this morning) between Flounge and CCR. Roped off to prevent wandering hands.
Aug 23, 2019, 8:06 am
#1349
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 19
Aug 23, 2019, 8:07 am
#1350
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire
Posts: 1,243