Travel Alert: British Airways Pilot Strike September 2019 on Three Different Days

After the British Airline Pilots’ Association — which is also known as BALPA — revealed via an official announcement the results of a ballot on which the vote ended on Monday, July 22, 2019 with 93 percent of the turnout of 90 percent of pilots who voted are in favor of industrial action, pilots of British Airways who are based at both London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport are scheduled to go on strike on the following dates:

• Monday, September 9, 2019
• Tuesday, September 10, 2019
• Friday, September 27, 2019

Travel Alert: British Airways Pilot Strike September 2019 on Three Different Days

“Over several days of ACAS talks BALPA put forward a number of packages that we believe would have resolved this dispute without a strike, and which we could have recommended to our members for acceptance prior to strike action. BA did not accept any of these packages, and it is clear following discussions with members over the last few days that BA’s most recent offer will not gain the support of anywhere near a majority of its pilots”, according to this official announcement which was released by the union which represents the pilots of British Airways. “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.”

Management at British Airways reportedly offered the pilots a pay increase of 11.5 percent over three years.

The confirmation of industrial action on the three aforementioned days is not exactly supported by everyone:

Let’s look from a different perspective. BA transports about 145,000 people each day to see loved ones, dream holidays, say their last good-byes to those who are ill. That’s nearly half a million people your strikes are affecting. For what, petty bickering? Go back to the table!

— Kevin McInroy-Edwards (@mcinroy_edwards) August 23, 2019

Shame on you @BALPApilots, ruining people’s holiday plans – including the very carefully laid ones of my 93 and 86 year old parents which will now have to be completely cancelled.

— Sarah Hendry (@singinghen) August 23, 2019

So 5m divided by 3000 pilots is 1.6k per person. Is that really worth it? (For anyone who would jump on me: pilots’ median pay is 88k, long haul pilots might earn up to 170k).

— Agnes (@Dobcsek) August 23, 2019

Thank you for ruining my long planned holiday. I haven’t had a raise in 10 years. And my job is just as critical as yours. You are mercenaries

— nancy saucier (@sweetsleep76) August 23, 2019

Summary

This potential industrial action — as well as at least five other strikes which threatened to affect travel to, from or within the United Kingdom, most of which are centered around pay disputes — is not exactly the way British Airways intends to celebrate 100 years in business as of Sunday, August 25, 2019…

…but the airline may have little choice in the matter: “In what is British Airways’ centenary year, this will be the very first time its pilots will go on strike”, according to the aforementioned announcement. “They do so as a last resort and with enormous frustration at the way the business is now being run.”

The good news is that this strike is not expected to affect flights operated by British Airways from other airports which serve the greater London metropolitan area — such as London City Airport or London Stansted Airport — but because the aforementioned ballot is valid until January of 2020, additional dates “may be announced until such time as this matter is resolved.”

Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.