Aug 24, 2019, 4:29 am
Last edit by: corporate-wage-slave
Quick answers to FAQ
Update 18 September 2019: BALPA, the pilots union, has called off their strike for 27 September. We are awaiting a status update from BA on the next steps.
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, see post 540 for an example of a mistake cancellation, see post 818 for a genuinely cancelled flight.
Post 540 (mistake cancellation): https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31451182-post540.html
Post 818 (real cancellation): https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31454467-post818.html
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) have announced strike dates.
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 here
and BA Trade Site guidance here
The list of airlines that can be used for rebooking BA flights is now very long, and the list is available here:
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/traveltrade/bookings-policies/policies/askba?faqid=7594
As of 27 August, this was the old list, and you can track the rollout of OAL via the main thread: Iberia, AA, Aer Lingus (Transatlantic routed limited to 09/10 Sep Only), Finnair, JAL, Malaysia, Qatar, SAS, Brussels, Egyptair, Precision Air, Cathay Pacific and Etihad, Saudia, Gulf, Qantas, Tradewind Aviation, Interjet, LATAM, Air France, KLM, Air New Zealand, Philippine Airlines, EVA Air, Kenya Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Baltic, Air Atlantic, Croatia and Vueling. Between LHR/MAN and SIN only for Economy passengers, Singapore Airlines is allowed. Between LON and SOF only, Bulgaria is allowed. Between London and Newcastle, Leeds and Edinburgh BA can rebook via the LNER rail company. Suspended then but now allowed: Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian
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): here
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.[/left]
Update 18 September 2019: BALPA, the pilots union, has called off their strike for 27 September. We are awaiting a status update from BA on the next steps.
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, see post 540 for an example of a mistake cancellation, see post 818 for a genuinely cancelled flight.
Post 540 (mistake cancellation): https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31451182-post540.html
Post 818 (real cancellation): https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31454467-post818.html
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) have announced strike dates.
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 here
and BA Trade Site guidance here
The list of airlines that can be used for rebooking BA flights is now very long, and the list is available here:
https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/traveltrade/bookings-policies/policies/askba?faqid=7594
As of 27 August, this was the old list, and you can track the rollout of OAL via the main thread: Iberia, AA, Aer Lingus (Transatlantic routed limited to 09/10 Sep Only), Finnair, JAL, Malaysia, Qatar, SAS, Brussels, Egyptair, Precision Air, Cathay Pacific and Etihad, Saudia, Gulf, Qantas, Tradewind Aviation, Interjet, LATAM, Air France, KLM, Air New Zealand, Philippine Airlines, EVA Air, Kenya Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Baltic, Air Atlantic, Croatia and Vueling. Between LHR/MAN and SIN only for Economy passengers, Singapore Airlines is allowed. Between LON and SOF only, Bulgaria is allowed. Between London and Newcastle, Leeds and Edinburgh BA can rebook via the LNER rail company. Suspended then but now allowed: Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian
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): here
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.[/left]
Help Desk: practical assistance for those affected by strikes on 9, 10, 27 Sep
Aug 24, 2019, 7:47 am
#601
Join Date: May 2006
Location: London
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold, GGL, SPG Gold , HHonors Diamond ,Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 567
Let me try and summarise for the various questions that have come up.
1) The dates where you are most likely to be affected with be departing from London Heathrow or Gatwick on 9, 10 or 27 September.
2) If returning to London Gatwick or Heathrow on 9, 10 or 27 September you may also be affected given the outbound service would be cancelled. Some flights may still operate.
3) On 11 and 28 September, there may be knock on cancellations due to aircraft or crew being in the wrong place. This is particularly if flying to London.
4) If you are flying on the 8 September it seems unlikely you will be affected at this stage.
5) At the moment there is no point calling up, since BA are currently rejigging their timetables.
6) MMB will be updated if your flight is cancelled, you should also get an email / text message if booked via BA.com
7) If your flight is cancelled you can get a refund or rebook to alternative dates. That's already confirmed. You can also do the same if you are travelling on the day before or after the strike if you wish, see advisory below.
8) We can expect very shortly more detailed rebooking arrangements in the next 24 hours, including options to transfer to alternative carriers.
9) EC261 will apply, offering Right to Care and potentially compensation, but see the the main EC261 thread for details.
10) Flights to and from London City are not affected, and you may be able to switch to these flights if there is space.
11) Redemption tickets will get the same rebooking ability as revenue tickets.
It should also be pointed out that the strike may not actually go ahead: the numbers are stacked in such a way that a negotiated settlement is entirely possible, leading to a last minute cancellation of the strike.
1) The dates where you are most likely to be affected with be departing from London Heathrow or Gatwick on 9, 10 or 27 September.
2) If returning to London Gatwick or Heathrow on 9, 10 or 27 September you may also be affected given the outbound service would be cancelled. Some flights may still operate.
3) On 11 and 28 September, there may be knock on cancellations due to aircraft or crew being in the wrong place. This is particularly if flying to London.
4) If you are flying on the 8 September it seems unlikely you will be affected at this stage.
5) At the moment there is no point calling up, since BA are currently rejigging their timetables.
6) MMB will be updated if your flight is cancelled, you should also get an email / text message if booked via BA.com
7) If your flight is cancelled you can get a refund or rebook to alternative dates. That's already confirmed. You can also do the same if you are travelling on the day before or after the strike if you wish, see advisory below.
8) We can expect very shortly more detailed rebooking arrangements in the next 24 hours, including options to transfer to alternative carriers.
9) EC261 will apply, offering Right to Care and potentially compensation, but see the the main EC261 thread for details.
10) Flights to and from London City are not affected, and you may be able to switch to these flights if there is space.
11) Redemption tickets will get the same rebooking ability as revenue tickets.
It should also be pointed out that the strike may not actually go ahead: the numbers are stacked in such a way that a negotiated settlement is entirely possible, leading to a last minute cancellation of the strike.
Aug 24, 2019, 7:51 am
#602
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,246
Aug 24, 2019, 7:52 am
#603
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
[Later on they may relent over e.g. Lufthansa connections, if you had been able to wait out the dispute it would be quite a hefty hotel bill].
Aug 24, 2019, 7:54 am
#604
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,246
BA213 is A380 operated in summer, not sure if this is an added factor to the cancellation.
Aug 24, 2019, 7:56 am
#605
Join Date: May 2016
Location: EDI
Programs: Was BA GGL but no longer travelling
Posts: 583
Post deleted so as to avoid wasting the time of the helpful folks here. I've managed to rebook my flight on 28th to 29th as it was red in MMB therefore considered to be at-risk.
Last edited by HighwayToHEL; Aug 24, 2019 at 8:41 am
Aug 24, 2019, 7:58 am
#606
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: EXT
Programs: British Airways Executive Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Posts: 294
How much of a knock on effect does a strike have on the following couple of days flights? We are flying in CE, to Athens, 2 days later. We rarely reserve seats but if the flights are likely to be full after flight cancellations, perhaps we should pay reserve seats to improve the chances of sitting together?
A minor problem to the problems some of you face with this chaos I know.
A minor problem to the problems some of you face with this chaos I know.
Aug 24, 2019, 8:03 am
#608
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
What you may be able to do, by accident, is move the EDI-LHR service, to give you more time if you want, assuming it was booked via BA.com. Now you don't want to be on a service which overnighted in EDI, but a service that starts that morning in LHR should be OK, I would have thought. That said, personally I very much doubt that this dispute will go on that long.
Aug 24, 2019, 8:07 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
How much of a knock on effect does a strike have on the following couple of days flights? We are flying in CE, to Athens, 2 days later. We rarely reserve seats but if the flights are likely to be full after flight cancellations, perhaps we should pay reserve seats to improve the chances of sitting together?
Aug 24, 2019, 8:07 am
#610
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lausanne Switzerland
Programs: BA Gold; Swiss Blue
Posts: 1,244
Quick Question:
Sister (and mother) were booked on flights to VIE on 27th Sept. This was to allow my sister to get enough TPs for here silver card.
I have just looked and every weekend after 27th in now zeroed out in CE till after her renewal date.
Would she get ORC for the trip if she has to be rebooked in ET rather than CE?
Sister (and mother) were booked on flights to VIE on 27th Sept. This was to allow my sister to get enough TPs for here silver card.
I have just looked and every weekend after 27th in now zeroed out in CE till after her renewal date.
Would she get ORC for the trip if she has to be rebooked in ET rather than CE?
Aug 24, 2019, 8:07 am
#611
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Arizona
Programs: BA (GGL G4L), AA (Gold), HH (Diamond); Marriott (Gold)
Posts: 3,011
Not sure what the best option is for separate tickets, neither of which were booked via BA for various reasons... I've looked at options and none of them are ideal.
Booking one via AA:
PHX-LHR-DUB, the latter flight is showing canceled but is the day before the strike (received an email, it's in red in MMB but does not have a strikethrough in the booking)
Booking two via Travel Agent:
DUB-LHR-SPU-(Croatia Airlines)-VIE-LHR-DUB, both the DUB-LHR and LHR-SPU are on the strike date and showing canceled.
All segments except the short SPU-VIE are in business class.
Option 1: Move PHX-LHR-DUB and DUB-LHR-SPU one day earlier. Cons: I don't really want to travel a day earlier, and all of the better CW seats are occupied.
Option 2: Switch PHX-LHR to the earlier in the day AA flight (original flight is too late to connect to BA's flights to SPU), postpone the LHR-DUB until a much later date. Ask TA to split the DUB-LHR into a separate booking for a later date and keep the remainder of the itinerary but LHR-SPU a day earlier. Cons: AA flight doesn't have great seats available, potential pain to claim ORC? Need to check a bag and doubt my bag would get through checked.
Option 3: Ask AA to reroute PHX-PHL-DBV, and then determine my own way to SPU. Poor seat options.
Option 4: Reroute via LAX to arrive earlier in the day, then LHR-SPU as in option 2
Option 5: Leave my bookings alone and wait for AA or BA to find me a way to SPU when I arrive in London from Phoenix.
I had wanted to spend a night in Dublin, but I can cancel that. I would prefer retaining a better seat if possible. I'd like to still make it to Split by the original date.
Any suggestions on how I should handle this? I rarely book BA flights with someone besides BA, so needing to deal with AA and Propeller across separate tickets may raise some challenges. Note the reason it was booked this way is that it was impossible to book as a single ticket, and BA was unable to price up the ticket with the Croatia Airlines flight in the middle for the VIE-SPU segment.
Booking one via AA:
PHX-LHR-DUB, the latter flight is showing canceled but is the day before the strike (received an email, it's in red in MMB but does not have a strikethrough in the booking)
Booking two via Travel Agent:
DUB-LHR-SPU-(Croatia Airlines)-VIE-LHR-DUB, both the DUB-LHR and LHR-SPU are on the strike date and showing canceled.
All segments except the short SPU-VIE are in business class.
Option 1: Move PHX-LHR-DUB and DUB-LHR-SPU one day earlier. Cons: I don't really want to travel a day earlier, and all of the better CW seats are occupied.
Option 2: Switch PHX-LHR to the earlier in the day AA flight (original flight is too late to connect to BA's flights to SPU), postpone the LHR-DUB until a much later date. Ask TA to split the DUB-LHR into a separate booking for a later date and keep the remainder of the itinerary but LHR-SPU a day earlier. Cons: AA flight doesn't have great seats available, potential pain to claim ORC? Need to check a bag and doubt my bag would get through checked.
Option 3: Ask AA to reroute PHX-PHL-DBV, and then determine my own way to SPU. Poor seat options.
Option 4: Reroute via LAX to arrive earlier in the day, then LHR-SPU as in option 2
Option 5: Leave my bookings alone and wait for AA or BA to find me a way to SPU when I arrive in London from Phoenix.
I had wanted to spend a night in Dublin, but I can cancel that. I would prefer retaining a better seat if possible. I'd like to still make it to Split by the original date.
Any suggestions on how I should handle this? I rarely book BA flights with someone besides BA, so needing to deal with AA and Propeller across separate tickets may raise some challenges. Note the reason it was booked this way is that it was impossible to book as a single ticket, and BA was unable to price up the ticket with the Croatia Airlines flight in the middle for the VIE-SPU segment.
Aug 24, 2019, 8:08 am
#612
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
Have a look at the wiki and the posts above to see how you can check if it's a real cancellation or not. You can check via Manage My Booking. It may well be a mistake cancellation, and the 2-4-1 issue isn't relevant, plenty of revenue customers are being caught by this.
Aug 24, 2019, 8:13 am
#613
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
Quick Question:
Sister (and mother) were booked on flights to VIE on 27th Sept. This was to allow my sister to get enough TPs for here silver card.
I have just looked and every weekend after 27th in now zeroed out in CE till after her renewal date.
Would she get ORC for the trip if she has to be rebooked in ET rather than CE?
Sister (and mother) were booked on flights to VIE on 27th Sept. This was to allow my sister to get enough TPs for here silver card.
I have just looked and every weekend after 27th in now zeroed out in CE till after her renewal date.
Would she get ORC for the trip if she has to be rebooked in ET rather than CE?
Aug 24, 2019, 8:15 am
#614
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 1,757
A minor query when compared to others but would appreciate thoughts: My JFK-LHR is cancelled on the 9th. Waiting for client’s TA to organise alternatives. I was relying on this flight to get my fourth flight on BA metal and 125 ticket so I can qualify for another Silver next year.
If I get rebooked onto AA or another airline will I be able to claim it anyway as it’s not my choice to have cancelled?
If I get rebooked onto AA or another airline will I be able to claim it anyway as it’s not my choice to have cancelled?
Aug 24, 2019, 8:15 am
#615
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
Not sure what the best option is for separate tickets, neither of which were booked via BA for various reasons... I've looked at options and none of them are ideal.
Booking one via AA:
PHX-LHR-DUB, the latter flight is showing canceled but is the day before the strike (received an email, it's in red in MMB but does not have a strikethrough in the booking)
Booking two via Travel Agent:
DUB-LHR-SPU-(Croatia Airlines)-VIE-LHR-DUB, both the DUB-LHR and LHR-SPU are on the strike date and showing canceled.
Booking one via AA:
PHX-LHR-DUB, the latter flight is showing canceled but is the day before the strike (received an email, it's in red in MMB but does not have a strikethrough in the booking)
Booking two via Travel Agent:
DUB-LHR-SPU-(Croatia Airlines)-VIE-LHR-DUB, both the DUB-LHR and LHR-SPU are on the strike date and showing canceled.
I can't work out the dates from that post, but suffice to point out that Aer Lingus has direct services to Split.