British Airways strike causes five days of flight cancellations

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The British Airways strike next month will result in at least five consecutive days of flight cancellations.

BA pilots announced a three-day strike on 9, 10 and 27 September as part of a wage dispute.

Although the first strikes took place on September 9th and 10th, some customers who flew between the 8th and the 12th were informed that their flight had been canceled – and rebooked or obtained a refund.

A customer told the BBC that his 25 September flight had been canceled.

Many people said that they had not been able to contact BA to make alternative arrangements.

BA claims to carry 145,000 customers each day – with a fleet of more than 280 aircraft – and that a BA airline plane takes off from somewhere in the world every 90 seconds.

BA pilots announce dates of September strike

In a statement, BA said: "We are doing everything in our power to prevent this unfair action from harming our customers' travel plans.

"Airlines operate in a very complex way, and during times of widespread disruption, flights can affect flights on other days."

Clients reported receiving emails late Friday night and early morning morning morning announcing that their flight had been canceled.

Many have turned to social media to complain about the inability to make a new reservation via the website or to join BA's phone lines.

Honeymoon & # 39; ruined & # 39;

Abby Deem, 32, of Cambridge, said her honeymoon projects had been "ruined" after her cancellation of her business class flight to Mauritius on September 9th.

"We have been looking forward to this flight for a year," she said.

"None of us have ever had the luxury of traveling in business class, and after the wedding, it seemed like the perfect way to start our honeymoon."

She said that she felt sick when her fiancé, Jonathan, received a text stating that the flight had been canceled.

They have now booked economy flights with Emirates and estimate that it will cost them £ 500 more.

Legend

Abby Deem and her fiance Jonathan say they've saved airline miles and loyalty card points to book their "dream" flights

Manchester's Jennifer Bond was scheduled to travel to Las Vegas with her fiance Simon to get married, but their flights to and from Las Vegas (Sept. 11-25) were canceled.

She said: "Almost two years of economy and budgeting relentlessly, and this happens three weeks before departure."

It was "impossible" to reach BA by phone, she added. So they booked new flights with Virgin, £ 700 more than their original flights.

"We are now short of money and the processing time of a refund is four weeks," she said. "It's shameful."

Legend

Jennifer Bond was eager to return to Las Vegas with her fiance Simon to get married

Another client, Anna Redding, was scheduled to travel to Nairobi with her partner for their honeymoon on September 11 and return on September 27, the date set for the final strike.

They received an e-mail informing them that their one-way flight had been canceled and that their return flight had been delayed.

She added that they had also saved to move to first class flights as it was a "unique holiday in their life".

They were unable to reach BA by phone and she said the advice was unclear, adding, "Are we trying to get another flight with someone else by losing the first class or are waiting we in case, but could not get any other flights? "

Legend

Anna Redding and her husband, Duncan Grist, fear that their unique safari will be ruined

The company's Twitter messages were flooded with messages from frustrated customers, some claiming their canceled flights were still on sale.

In response to a customer, BA stated that some pre- and post-strike flights were "always subject to disruption for operational reasons, including crew composition and aircraft positioning".

Travel expert Simon Calder explained that it had been five consecutive days of cancellation, because BA would not send a flight to Hong Kong, for example, if a pilot went on strike on next day.

He also added that BA had to find customers "if possible, a replacement flight the same day, even if that meant buying you a plane ticket from another airline".

If you are delayed overnight, he said that BA had to pay for a hotel and his meals.

He added: "The worst thing to do is to get a full refund, because you will buy another ticket yourself and it could cost more."

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said Friday that the strikes were a "last resort" born of a "huge frustration" with the airline's management.

The pilots rejected an 11.5% increase over three years, which the airline had proposed in July.

What can I claim if my flight has been affected by strikes?

If your flight was canceled because the airline's staff is on strike, said the Civil Aviation Authority, this would then be borne by the airline. You therefore have the legal right to:

A full refund, which includes flights of the same trip that could come from another airline (for example, a connecting flight or a return flight)
A replacement flight to get to your destination
Or, if you are halfway through your trip and do not want a replacement flight, you are entitled to a return flight to the airport of your departure.

In some cases, passengers may be entitled to additional cash compensation for inconvenience – but only if you are notified that your flight is delayed less than 14 days prior to departure.

Have your BA flights been canceled? Share your experiences by email [email protected].

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