British Airways said it has cancelled nearly all flights due to a two-day pilot strike that began from Sunday midnight. "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," British Airways stated on its official website.
BALPA or the British Airline Pilots' Association has called for the two-day strike over an ongoing dispute over pay and other terms. Calling for the strike, BALPA said it was a "last resort", because of "enormous frustration" with the airline's management.
However, flights on BA CityFlyer, SUN-AIR and Comair have not been affected, the airlines stated.
Apologising to the customers, British Airways informed that all affected customers would get "full refunds or the option to re-book to another date of travel or alternative airline". It also said that it was ready to resume talks with the pilots' association. "We understand the frustration BALPA's strike action has caused our customers. After months of trying to resolve pay dispute, we're extremely sorry that it has come to this. We remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA."
The airlines was also making alternative arrangements for its passengers with partner airlines to schedule larger aircraft to take the maximum number of customers.
Passengers have been advised by the airlines not to visit the airport if their flights are cancelled. "You can rebook or refund your booking online. You can also call us to discuss other available flight options. If you have booked via a travel agent, please contact them directly to discuss arrangements for your booking," the advisory on the airlines' website read.
The strike comes almost two months after the airline pilots, in July, rejected a pay rise of 11.5 per cent over three years.
The BALPA said its members have taken a "low" pay rise and made sacrifices during tough times and now that the British Airways' financial performance had improved—its parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) reported 9 per cent rise in profits last year—they should get a greater share of the profits.
However, the British Airways stood by its stance that its pilots already received "world class" salary and the pay offer is "fair and generous".
The British Airways says after the 11.5 per cent pay deal is fully implemented in three years, the average captain will take home over £200,000 a year, allowances included.
On the other hand, the union says junior pilots are paid a base salary of only around £26,000, although they receive several thousand pounds a year on top of that in allowances such as "flying pay" (payments for time away from base).
The British Airways indicated that the strike would cost the airline up to £40 million a day. The IAG, which also owns IBERIA and Aer Lingus airlines, reported a pre-tax profit of £2.8 billion in 2018.
(WIth PTI inputs)
