British Airways pilots to strike in September: what travellers need to know

Three days of industrial action over pay will disrupt the journeys of ‘thousands’ of passengers, says airline

British Airways pilots will strike for three days next month. EPA

It was revealed last month that the airline had lost a court bid to stop industrial action by its pilots, and now strikes have been announced at British Airways.

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The airline has confirmed that its pilots will go on strike for three days next month, after failing to reach an agreement in a long-standing dispute over pay.

Action will be taken on Monday, September 9, Tuesday, September 10 and Friday, September 27, the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) announced yesterday.

The union represents about 90 per cent of the airline's pilots.

In a statement issued on its website, British Airways says the strikes will "cause serious disruption to the travel plans of thousands".

Balpa said it had "no choice but to call this action”, while the airline stated it had offered a pay increase of 11.5 per cent over three years, "a deal which we believe is fair".

What should affected passengers do?

Those booked on flights on the three strike days will be "unlikely" to travel, British Airways – which operates flights between London and Dubai and London and Abu Dhabi – said.

The airline will, however, be offering affected customers full refunds or the option to re-book their journey on another date.

"We’re very sorry about the impact Balpa's action will have, and we’ll do everything we can to get as many people as possible away on their journeys," the carrier said in a statement.

A day of strike action will cost BA around £40m. Three days will cost in the region of £120m. The gap between BA’s position and BALPA’s position is about £5m. Our proposal remains on the table should BA wish to reach agreement prior to strike action.#BAstrike

— BALPA (@BALPApilots) August 23, 2019

British Airways added that they are currently looking into bolstering services on those days by using aircraft and crew from other airlines, and hoping to schedule larger planes to ferry more passengers.

How should you get in touch?

If you're one of the passengers scheduled to fly on the affected days, British Airways says it should be in touch. The airline advises checking your booking has your current contact details to enable this.

Its Frequently Asked Questions page has been updated to reflect the industrial action, and you can also call the customer contact centre on [phone], if you're outside the UK, or 0800 727 800, from within the UK.

If you booked your trip through a travel agent rather than directly with the airline, you should contact your third-party provider.