British Airways is canceling several hundred flights ahead of a 10-day pay strike from Friday by security staff at London’s Heathrow airport, British Airways said on Monday. The cancellations “follow Heathrow’s requirement to reduce the number of passengers traveling during the strike period,” British Airways said in a statement, adding that affected passengers can change or receive a refund for their flights.
A total of 32 flights departing or arriving at the main London hub each day, or 5% of the trips made by the company at Heathrow, will be canceled during the Easter holidays. The measure will not affect long-haul flights. The strike movement affects more than 1,400 security guards employed by Heathrow, who “receive misery wages,” denounced the Unite union in mid-March.
An emergency plan and 1,000 additional employees
Heathrow has implemented “contingency plans (that) will allow the airport to operate normally during” the strike, a company spokesman said in a statement on Monday, adding that the cancellations will not relate only to British Airways, of which Heathrow is the base. . The airport adds the deployment of “1,000 additional employees” and indicates that “the management team will be in the terminals to provide assistance to passengers.” “As with any busy period, getting through security may take a bit longer than usual, but it will be well managed and smooth,” Heathrow said.
The airport had already suffered, in the spring of last year and again during the summer holidays, strikes and staff shortages that resulted in endless queues, delays, problems with baggage handling and flight cancellations. As the industry struggled to absorb the recovery in demand, Heathrow also had to limit the number of passengers passing through its facilities each day.
The United Kingdom has been shaken for months by repeated strikes in many sectors for better wages due to price increases of more than 10%. Inflation picked up in February, up to 10.4% annual.
Source: BFM TV
