LHR strikes (HAL employees) - 23/24 Aug 2019 [called off for now]
 

I think you just answered your own question ;) Also included are airside operational staff.

HAL staff have never striked before, so nobody has first hand experience of this.

Would be nice to include the strike dates!

The main population of HAL staff affected are security officers, and this would be the most notable interaction with HAL staff for the majority of passengers.

Most HAL customer service staff are behind the scenes (although trolley operatives are visible, for example), as are engineering (who maintain the infrastructure) and other operations staff (responsible for airfield safety, non-T5 stand allocation etc.).

Sales staff in shops are employed by the retailers, not HAL. Ground staff are employed by ground handlers or airlines, not HAL.

Oh dear, I also have flights on the 26th...

Different strike to the BA employees strike - which might actually happen at the same time in early August for some double mayhem.

Hoping my flight landing into LHR on the 6th August won't be affected. It'll need to depart LHR the bad before to position, so if that's affected then, well, who knows.

Typical, a friend is arriving into LHR T2 for her first visit to the UK on 23rd August.

I guess it's too early to know what issues will occur.

I have a paid BA ticket OTP-LHR for 6 Aug (when there may be a HAL and BA strike).

I have panicked and taken out some insurance in the form of a FR ticket OTP-STN for the same day (similar timings too) for £50. If the LHR option goes belly up I hope to be able to cancel for free.

I would be cautious about booking any FR back-up - there are also potential strikes at LGW & STN. At STN this could affect check-in staff, but clearly there is a possibility that if the STN-OTP flight doesn’t operate then nor will the return.

More details in the thread in the UK&I forum:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/u-k-...ug-2019-a.html

Yes, that could be the case, but from what I can see, the STN check-in dispute relates mainly to U2, and also, the aircraft flying OTP-STN typically does not arrive from STN (but from AMM perhaps - that's the nature of FR).

In any case, if the gods do not wish me to fly that day, I'll take the hint and spend a couple more days on the beach at Constanta...

Not only is there quite a summer of aviation discontent brewing, but we have no idea which disputes will be settled and which will continue and intensify. You might dodge one strike that's cancelled simply to be affected by additional action elsewhere.

I'm sitting on my current travel reservations until the situation matures (a phrase which can mean "is improved over time" or "goes rotten").

I have a *A ex-EU on 29th July, which is dependent on my BA LHR-GOT operating first thing in the morning. I have a 4 hour buffer in GOT, but the big unknown of these LHR strikes is making me nervous...

Veering off-topic for BA, but the STN dispute is between Stobart Aviation and workers represented by the Unite union. Stobart do handling for Easyjet at Stansted while Ryanair are handled by OmniServ at Stansted. Omniserv are not, as far as I know, having any industrial disputes at the moment.

The Easyjet (U2) dispute is probably best followed at the thread I started in the Other European Airlines forum: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/othe...rt-strike.html

Has anyone else been able to successfully reschedule their BA flights? I called the YouFirst line yesterday as I have a flight arriving into LHR on July 26 and departing Aug 6, but BA indicated they had no policy so far and wouldn't change my flights without being subject to change fee / fare difference.

You must be new to this forum... :p (despite your name!)

Generally speaking I agree with you that there's no need to panic (I also have BA flights booked for the strike dates). However, there's not a lot of point taking out travel insurance at this stage. If you purchase insurance after a strike ballot has taken place it's unclear whether it will pay out in the event of a claim.

Hmm I just might miss the strike as I'm not due to fly BA on my OTP-PHX return til the 30th of Aug (which the only segment would be the last one LHR-OTP on BA). Let's see what happens....

There are no strike dates.

In a (perhaps futile) to keep this topic separate from the possible BA pilots' strike, I thought I would give it a nudge.

First HAL strike due to hit in 38 hours (ish). Aside from the bland assurance of robust contingency plans to keep LHR open, has anyone heard or read any hard reliable data on how this (seemingly fantastic) objective is going to be achieved?

If the firefighters go out this objective will fall at the first hurdle.

The press is now reporting that the Heathrow Fire staff will now join the proposed strikes, surely this will close the airport?

Good point. There has been an internal discussion about this within the Moderators and Ambassadors, so we will create a separate thread for the Friday / Saturday planned strike by HAL staff to give advice and tips to those travelling. At the moment a full schedule of BA flights is planned.

Not for the first strike this weekend, they can only join the second strike onwards

There is no fire service strike this Friday. They have given notice that they would join the strike action already announced for August 5-6 and August 23-24.

Did LHR had any strike of this kind in the past? How was it deal with?

The BBC reporting that the strikes have been suspended for this Friday and Saturday!

Sounds like progress at ACAS.
Time for BA to follow suit.