Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

BA pay dispute: What are my rights if strikes hit the summer holidays at Heathrow?

BA pay dispute: What are my rights if strikes hit the summer holidays at Heathrow?

The prospect of strikes affecting BA services at Heathrow this summer are another headache for a struggling airline and also passengers who were, likely, already nervous about getting away after disruption at airports across Europe.

Here, Sky News explains your rights as a consumer in the event British Airways is hit by strikes involving hundreds of check-in and ground-handling staff and explores why the airline - and others - are already cutting flights.

Why is the air travel industry suffering so many problems?


The issues can be traced back to early 2020 when airlines began cutting flights as Europe started to be gripped by the pandemic.

Put simply, so many people left the industry or took redundancy that flight operators and airports are short of staff.

In the case of BA, it axed more than 10,000 jobs at the height of the crisis and is trying to get back to full operational strength but it, along with some rivals, has struggled to recruit quickly.

Those efforts have been hampered, airlines say, by the resulting strain placed on the security clearance process.

BA has also endured a few own goals such as IT failures earlier this year that have led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

What are they doing about it?


BA and others have been cutting flights for months - often on those routes which have frequent daily services - in a bid to prevent last-minute cancellations.

To give passengers greater confidence, the government this week said airlines would be free to cancel peak summer services in advance without the risk of losing landing slots.

The aim is that by removing the risk of penalty for failing to meet their obligations, airlines can adjust schedules for July and August now to stabilise their operations and minimise the risk of disruption nearer the time.

So what is the chance of my BA flight from Heathrow being cancelled?


No strike dates have been announced - yet.

The unions want to give the airline some time to improve its pay offer to their members but any strike should not deal a killer blow to all BA services from Heathrow.

That is because, it is understood, fewer than 50% of the airline's customer-facing staff are involved in the dispute.

If my flight IS cancelled, what then?


British Airways should, on paper, have plenty of time to cancel any flights it needs to in advance of any strike because the unions have to give two weeks' notice of strike dates.

In the event of a cancellation, BA can offer you an alternative but, crucially, is obliged to book you onto a rival's service if spare capacity is available.

Otherwise, customers affected have the option of securing a refund.

The consumer group Which? said BA would be liable for compensation too if it had to cancel services at short notice.

Its travel editor, Rory Boland, explained: "Strikes by airline staff are within the airline's control because it is negotiating with its staff, so if your flight is delayed or cancelled because of this then you'll likely be entitled to compensation under Denied Boarding Regulations.

"BA must also reroute customers as soon as possible using other carriers if necessary, and explain these rights to customers.

"We know this requirement is not always being met, so the government and Civil Aviation Authority must intervene where airlines are playing fast and loose with the rules."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×