British Airways pilots have confirmed the dates of their strike, after 93 per cent of members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) voted in favour of industrial action.
A threatened strike over the summer period – one of the busiest times of the year – would have caused chaos for holidaymakers, and Balpa represents about 90 per cent of the airline’s pilots.
However, the eventual dates come after the end of the summer break: pilots will be walking out on Monday 9 September, Tuesday 10 September and Friday 27 September.
BA, who said it was “very disappointed” with the result, had failed in a bid to secure a temporary injunction from the High Court to put a stop to any plans for strike action.
The airline had offered staff a “fair and generous” pay increase worth 11.5% over three years, but this was rejected – Balpa says its members deserve better in light of BA’s recent profits.
The union was required to give BA two weeks’ notice if any action were to take place, and eventually announced the dates on Friday 23 August.
According to the airline’s website, the precise disruption to the timetable has not been confirmed yet.
However, BA advises: “If you have a flight booked with us on those dates, it is likely that you will not be able to travel due to BALPA’s strike action.
“We will be offering all affected customers full refunds or the option to re-book to 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.”
Balpa had said that the the cost to BA to settle the dispute would be “significantly less than the cost would be of even a single day’s strike action”.
