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Help Desk: practical assistance for those affected by strikes on 9, 10, 27 Sep

Old Aug 24, 2019, 4:29 am
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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 days notice). See the main EC261 thread in the BA Forum Dashboard.[/left]
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Help Desk: practical assistance for those affected by strikes on 9, 10, 27 Sep

Old Sep 12, 2019, 10:34 am
  #1351  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 122
Originally Posted by KARFA
If you go in to MMB you see a large notice at the top about the strikes, Would that not be sufficient?
That doesn't state the reason for the cancellation...
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 10:43 am
  #1352  
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 166
Thoughts on a gold priority reward downgrade refund?

I booked LHR-TLV in F using a gold priority reward for double avios on the 9th. Ended up flying in J on the 8th. Do you think I should push to get the difference between a regular J redemption and GPR F, or just a GPR J to GPR F difference? There may well have been regular avios availability in J at the time of booking or in the months since, but I wasn't checking / can't prove that.

Can I submit the request online, or call?
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 10:43 am
  #1353  
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
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Posts: 42,706
Originally Posted by PointsPointsPoints
That doesn't state the reason for the cancellation...
Well I got a cancellation email for the 27th earlier this afternoon and now received this email. I would assume this explanatory email should be sufficient?

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Old Sep 12, 2019, 10:45 am
  #1354  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: UK
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 122
Originally Posted by KARFA
Well I got a cancellation email for the 27th earlier this afternoon and now received this email. I would assume this explanatory email should be sufficient?

Perfect thanks.
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 10:49 am
  #1355  
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 49
Called the silver line and got through after about 30 mins. We were originally booked on the first flight AM on 27th to Hannover (then getting a train to Berlin for the marathon weekend, because direct flight to Berlin was crazy expensive, as expected). Have now been re-booked on the 7.20pm on 26th but now direct to Berlin, which is perfect as no extra time off work needed and the extra night's hotel will be outweighed by not having to purchase two train tickets from Hannover-Berlin. Also 20 TPs instead of 10 and more avios due to further distance. The only additional cost was adding an extra day parking at T5 for about 20. All in all, it's worked out great for us and the agent was helpful and it was all sorted within about 5 minutes of getting through. Furthermore, managed to bag the last couple of exit row seats. Appreciate it may not work out this well for many others!
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 11:45 am
  #1356  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London. Or a plane.
Programs: "Only" 50,000 TPs until BA GGLfL
Posts: 2,770
A friend flying LHR-LAS in F on the 27th was refused a rebooking to VS on the 27th in J (There were seats) and only offered departures on the 26th. BA's position was "it may be against the CAA guidelines, but we still won't book you on VS". Nice one.
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 12:30 pm
  #1357  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: BAEC GGL, LTG & CCR; IC RA; Hilton D (free from BA)
Posts: 391
My HKG flight in first cancelled. I called in within a few minutes of getting the text message. I got through almost immediately to a lovely lady on the GGL line who booked me in about 10 seconds onto the Cathay flight also in first at about the same time. I am happy with the way BA have managed this. At least by cancelling 15 days out there are seats available on other services, personally I am just interested in getting where I want when I wanted rather than any EU bonuses and I don't really care who drives the bus. Good luck to all in rearranging their itineraries.
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 12:42 pm
  #1358  
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL (for now) and Lifetime Gold, Marriott fan thanks to Bonvoy Moments
Posts: 5,112
Originally Posted by IThink
My HKG flight in first cancelled. I called in within a few minutes of getting the text message. I got through almost immediately to a lovely lady on the GGL line who booked me in about 10 seconds onto the Cathay flight also in first at about the same time. I am happy with the way BA have managed this. At least by cancelling 15 days out there are seats available on other services, personally I am just interested in getting where I want when I wanted rather than any EU bonuses and I don't really care who drives the bus. Good luck to all in rearranging their itineraries.
Thats very reassuring for me as I have a AMS-LCY/LHR-HKG trip in mid-October in F. Would quite like the chance to try CX F properly!
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 12:52 pm
  #1359  
 
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 2,345
Originally Posted by IThink
My HKG flight in first cancelled. I called in within a few minutes of getting the text message. I got through almost immediately to a lovely lady on the GGL line who booked me in about 10 seconds onto the Cathay flight also in first at about the same time. I am happy with the way BA have managed this. At least by cancelling 15 days out there are seats available on other services, personally I am just interested in getting where I want when I wanted rather than any EU bonuses and I don't really care who drives the bus. Good luck to all in rearranging their itineraries.
That's good but my next flight at risk isn't well served by decent carriers and certainly no CE so it would not be as nice a trip and could involve a transfer to an airport hotel for a couple of nights not fun when you just want to get home.
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 2:04 pm
  #1360  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 45
Originally Posted by sharplea
I'm flying Y. Any availability for two on the morning one? I can't take the 5.15pm as I have a connector on a separate booking to LAS which leaves LAX at 5.55pm EST.

If not, I assume my options are the day before? Will BA pay for the hotel that night?
Ended up on BA2277 from LGW-LAS the day before, with instructions to claim the extra hotel night after the trip has finished. The 10am AA flight was full by the time I'd got through. Can't fault the call centre, did excellent work.
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 2:29 pm
  #1361  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Singapore
Programs: BA Gold. KrisFlyer Gold
Posts: 731
The wait on the GGL line this evening was up to about 20 minutes, but I managed to re-book my flight on Sep 27th back from HKG to the following day on BA, in what I was told was the last seat in J. This just about works, given the restrictions imposed by my work schedule and the time limit of my employment visa.

There seems to be very little availability in J from Hong Kong to London on almost all sensible routings on the evening of the 27th. Fingers crossed the flight on the 28th doesn't end up being cancelled as well as it's still showing in red on MMB, and now appears open to be booked in fully flex fare buckets only. Another night in a nice hotel at BA's expense is appreciated, though I'd much rather be enjoying a full weekend at home after a long 2 weeks away.

Last edited by crazyanglaisy; Sep 12, 2019 at 2:42 pm
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 3:08 pm
  #1362  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 11
BA0188 EWR-LHR on the 27th appears to still be operating, even though it was cancelled on the 9th. Any thoughts on whether this will get cancelled but hasn't yet?

Reason I ask is this: I live closer to PHL but picked EWR because the flights were cheaper at the time of booking. BA won't reroute me on AA without the flight being cancelled and I'm worried that I'm the last one cancelled.

For BA, moving me would probably be an optimal move, even if the flight does operate, because they have limited seating from NYC-LON (To the point where WT is 2800 per seat on the flight I have). Meanwhile PHL-LHR is significantly cheaper (though still more than I paid for EWR-LHR). Is there anything I can say to them that would have them reroute me before the flight is cancelled?

My worry is that by the time they decide to cancel the flight, there is no availability on the east coast. I'm doing LHR for the weekend (leaving night of 27th, returning night of 30th) and don't have much flexibility to go earlier or later.
calebu2 is offline  
Old Sep 12, 2019, 3:53 pm
  #1363  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
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Originally Posted by calebu2
BA0188 EWR-LHR on the 27th appears to still be operating, even though it was cancelled on the 9th. Any thoughts on whether this will get cancelled but hasn't yet?

Reason I ask is this: I live closer to PHL but picked EWR because the flights were cheaper at the time of booking. BA won't reroute me on AA without the flight being cancelled and I'm worried that I'm the last one cancelled.

For BA, moving me would probably be an optimal move, even if the flight does operate, because they have limited seating from NYC-LON (To the point where WT is 2800 per seat on the flight I have). Meanwhile PHL-LHR is significantly cheaper (though still more than I paid for EWR-LHR). Is there anything I can say to them that would have them reroute me before the flight is cancelled?

My worry is that by the time they decide to cancel the flight, there is no availability on the east coast. I'm doing LHR for the weekend (leaving night of 27th, returning night of 30th) and don't have much flexibility to go earlier or later.
Are you sure BA won't reroute you on to AA? They have a revenue sharing arrangement on transatlantic flights so I would think they are agnostic on who you actually fly. Nonetheless, it looks like BA66 from Philly will operate on the 27th (they're still willing to sell tickets on it, which is the big giveaway) so I suggest you ask to be put on that flight if they won't offer you an AA Flight from PHL
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 5:18 pm
  #1364  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: San Diego
Posts: 2,670
Originally Posted by calebu2
BA0188 EWR-LHR on the 27th appears to still be operating, even though it was cancelled on the 9th. Any thoughts on whether this will get cancelled but hasn't yet?

Reason I ask is this: I live closer to PHL but picked EWR because the flights were cheaper at the time of booking. BA won't reroute me on AA without the flight being cancelled and I'm worried that I'm the last one cancelled.

For BA, moving me would probably be an optimal move, even if the flight does operate, because they have limited seating from NYC-LON (To the point where WT is 2800 per seat on the flight I have). Meanwhile PHL-LHR is significantly cheaper (though still more than I paid for EWR-LHR). Is there anything I can say to them that would have them reroute me before the flight is cancelled?

My worry is that by the time they decide to cancel the flight, there is no availability on the east coast. I'm doing LHR for the weekend (leaving night of 27th, returning night of 30th) and don't have much flexibility to go earlier or later.
Presumably there is a BA codeshare on that AA flight from PHL that you want? Call up and quote the BA flight number and see if they will move you to it. Presumably your flight is flagged in red in MMB so it is presumably eligible for re-booking?
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Old Sep 12, 2019, 5:19 pm
  #1365  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London, Sth Africa or LAS
Programs: VS Silver, BA Blue - finally; but hotels.com Gold :)
Posts: 1,856
A datapoint. I got through to You First very quickly after my ex-CPT on the 27th popped up on expertflyer as cancelled, mid afternoon. The agent couldn't see the cancellation nor could MMB in ba.com; however, a supervisor could!
Initially got offered the next day's BA flight which is no use time wise, was then offered a Oneworld re-route and QR worked for me. I end up losing half a day in Cape Town but fine in the overall scheme of things. Was very very quickly sorted. The re-booking e-mail confirmation was through in 15 minutes …. followed two hours later by the original cancellation e-mail!!
Very limited F options from CPT, more so as EK are not on the re-book list. BA were not keen to go with LH at this time, but I didn't press it as the QR option is overall pretty decent. The flights do seem to be filling up fast looking in 8 hours later.

Overall, the You First encounter exceeded my expectations today. Shame about the circumstances.
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