Friday 26 / April / 2024
London: British Airways (BA) pilots are striking for a second day in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
Tens of thousands of passengers have been told not to go to airports, with the airline cancelling some 1,700 flights due to the disruption.
The pilots' union Balpa said BA management's cost-cuts and "dumbing down" of the brand had eroded confidence in the airline.
But BA chief Alex Cruz said investment in the operator had never been so big.
The walkout is due to end at midnight on Tuesday, although there could be additional unexpected cancellations on Wednesday.
Both sides say they are willing to hold further talks, but no date has been set. The pilots are currently scheduled to stage another strike on 27 September.
Balpa's general secretary, Brian Strutton, said: "It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute.”
But he told reporters that while BA says publicly it is willing to talk, "in private they say they are not going to negotiate". And although the headline dispute is about pay, he said there was also deep resentment about the airline's direction.
"BA has lost the trust and confidence of pilots because of cost-cutting and the dumbing down of the brand... management want to squeeze every last penny out of customers and staff," Strutton said.
Cruz defended the airline against Strutton's claim, saying it had never in its history embarked on such a big investment programme in services and training. He said the airline was "ready and willing" to return to talks with Balpa.
It is the first time BA pilots have walked out and the action could cost the airline up to £40 million a day. Some 4,000 pilots are involved in the strike.
In a statement, BA said: "We understand the frustration and disruption Balpa's strike action has caused our customers. After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this.
"Unfortunately, with no detail from Balpa on which pilots would strike, we had no way of predicting how many would come to work or which aircraft they are qualified to fly, so we had no option but to cancel nearly 100 per cent of our flights.”
British Airways has said one can request a full refund, rebook flights for another time in the next 355 days, or use the value of the fare to fly to a different destination.
If a person's flight has been cancelled due to a strike, the Civil Aviation Authority says passengers also have a legal right to a replacement flight at BA's expense to get you to your destination, even if this means travelling with a different airline.
Most affected passengers would already have been in contact with BA, but they may not have considered additional costs, such as airport parking. They are advised to keep receipts for these extra costs, and BA said it would look at refunding them on a case-by-case basis.
The cost of separate hotel or accommodation bookings that cannot be used may need to be claimed from travel insurance.
