British Airways loses appeal to stop pilot strike causing chaos for hundreds of thousands of travellers next month
BRITISH Airways have lost their appeal to stop pilots going on strike next month.
The potential strike could result in chaos across the country if it goes ahead as planned with up to 4,000 pilots walking out.
However, the pilot union is yet to announce the dates of the strike action as they continue to negotiate for the rest of the week.
By law, at least two weeks notice has to be given for strike action - meaning a potential strike mid-August.
An overwhelming number of pilots voted for the strike last week according to British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA).
British Airways went to court to seek an injunction to stop the strike over a technicality, which meant the ballot (the vote) would be invalid.
But the judge presiding over the case said the pilots union had issued its ballot correctly and therefore the ballot result could stand according to BALPA.
Today, it was announced that their appeal following this injunction request was also rejected.
BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton, said: "The Court of Appeal has today rightly dismissed BA’s attempt to injunct this industrial action on a technicality.
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.
"BA's attempt to defeat the democratic view of their pilots in court, rather than deal with us across the negotiating table, has sadly wasted huge amounts of time and money that could have been put into finding a peaceful resolution.
"Now the window for negotiation and compromise is closing fast.
"BA need to wake up to reality. Our ballot returned 93 per cent in favour of strike action. There is a serious issue here and BA has so far refused to help us tackle it.
"On BA’s own figures submitted to the court, even a single day of strike action will cost far more than we believe it would take to settle this dispute."
The union balloted its affected members last month after discussions over pay stalled.
However, a senior airline staff member told The Sun that the strike was because their ";secret bonus scheme" was being shared throughout the airline.
For nine years, the bonus was originally just part of the pilots pay benefits, but will now be given to all airline staff.
STRUCK OUT Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airport strikes that could cause travel chaos for Brits this summer
A spokesperson for BA explained in a statement following the blocked appeal: "We are disappointed that the pilots' union, BALPA, has chosen to threaten the holidays of thousands of our customers this summer with unprecedented strike action.
"We are very sorry for the disruption BALPA's strike action will cause our customers.
"While no strike dates have yet been issued by BALPA, and they are required to give us 14 days' notice of any intention to call strike action, we ask our customers to review their contact details by visiting ba.com, or by contacting their travel agent.
"We continue to pursue every avenue to find a solution to avoid industrial action and protect our customers' travel plans.
"Our proposed pay deal of 11.5 per cent over three years is fair, and by contrast to BALPA, has been accepted by the members of the Unite and GMB trade unions, which represent nearly 90 per cent of all British Airways colleagues."
The Sun Says
BRITISH Airways pilots enjoy well-rewarded jobs at one of the best-paying airlines.
But a three-year rise at nearly twice the inflation rate isn’t enough for them. They will strike next month, destroying the holidays of families far less well-off.
What a sickening mix of arrogance, obstinacy and greed.
A number of strikes are set to affect Brits this summer.
Main London hubs including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted could all be hit by strikes.
Ryanair pilots are also currently being balloted over strike action.