British Airways passengers to face travel chaos this summer as pilots vote for strike action
BRITISH Airways passengers could face travel chaos this summer as the airline's pilots have voted for strike action.
An overwhelming number of pilots have voted for the strike action according to British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA).
It's not clear when the strike dates are at the moment as BA are moving to stop the strikes through the High Court tomorrow according to BALPA.
The union will announce confirmed dates in due course.
However, the earliest strikes can take place by law is two weeks after ballots.
This means if BA are not able to block the strike, pilots could start walking out from August 6.
Brian Strutton, BALPA's General Secretary, said in a statement: “This strong result demonstrates the resolve of BA pilots, and shows BA that it must table a sensible improved offer if a strike is to be averted.
"Sadly three days of ACAS talks have not moved the company’s position one iota. Settlement of this dispute is in BA’s hands.
“We do not wish to inconvenience our customers which is why we have tried to resolve this matter through negotiation starting last November – it is BA who has regrettably chosen to drag this out into the summer months.”
The union started balloting its affected members last month after discussions over pay stalled.
The ballot finished earlier today.
The union said that 90 per cent of those affected turned out to vote, with 93 per cent voting in favour of the strike.
According to , the average BA pilot takes home a base pay of £79,695pa with possibility of additional pay, which could include things such as bonuses, totalling up to £69,444pa on average.
STRUCK OUT Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airport strikes that could cause travel chaos for Brits this summer
A spokesperson for BA said in a statement: "We are very disappointed that BALPA, the pilots' union, has chosen to threaten the travel plans of thousands of our customers, over the summer holidays, with possible strike action.
"We remain open to working with BALPA to reach an agreement, which we have been doing since December.
"Our proposed pay offer of 11.5 per cent over three years is fair, and by contrast to BALPA, the Unite and GMB trade unions, which represent nearly 90 per cent of all British Airways colleagues, have already recommended the same pay offer to their members.
"We continue to pursue every avenue to find a solution to protect our customers' travel plans and avoid industrial action and we urge BALPA to return to talks as soon as possible."
Will I get my money back if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
If your flight is cancelled, you have the legal right to either a full refund within seven days or a replacement flight to your destination.
This applies for whatever reason your flight was cancelled or how long before you were told it would no longer be be flying.
If your flight is delayed by three hours or more and you were flying to or from a European airport, or with an EU-based airline such as Ryanair or British Airways, then you can claim compensation up to €250 (£229) for short-haul flights and €400 (£367) for mid-haul flights and €600 (£530) for long-haul flights.
But the airline might not payout if it's out of their control, for example, due to bad weather or strikes.
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A number of strikes are set to affect Brits this summer.
In July and August, main London hubs including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted could all be hit by strikes.
Ryanair pilots are also currently being balloted over strike action.