Due to a potentially widespread pilot strike, British Airways simply told customer in a statement released this morning “please do not go to the airport.” The company stated their position in regard to discussions with the British Airlines Pilot Association, saying “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 our flights. We remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA.”
The announcement comes amid the launch of a 48-hour walkout planned by the union, which is pushing for better benefits for pilots and what they say is a fairer share of the company’s revenue. The airline says it has made pilots in the union “a generous offer of a 11.5% pay increase over three years.”
But pilots, according to the union, “remain very angry with BA.” They say the company has increased its profits — more than $3 billion annually, according to parent company International Airlines Group — on the backs of its pilots, with pay cuts and long hours.
“British Airways needs to wake up and realise its pilots are determined to be heard,” union General Secretary Brian Strutton said in a statement issued Sunday. “They’ve previously taken big pay cuts to help the company through hard times. Now BA is making billions of pounds of profit, its pilots have made a fair, reasonable and affordable claim for pay and benefits.”
The canceled flights could affect as many as 145,000 passengers Monday, and in a lawsuit filed earlier this year the airline told a court the disruptions could cost it nearly $50 million a day. The union says that just over $6 million is what stands between the parties and an agreement.
