Several industrial actions are on the horizon in the UK as follows:
London Gatwick
Workers at Gatwick have suspended strikes planned for Aug. 10-11 and Aug. 20-24.
The latest round of talks yielded a “dramatically improved” pay offer. Workers will vote on that offer. Gatwick officials said they were “pleased the two sides have reached an agreement”.
London Heathrow
The union representing over 4,000 workers at London Heathrow suspended its job action for Aug. 5 and Aug. 6. Travelers may still face a strike on Aug. 23-24 if no agreement is reached by then but officials from Heathrow and the Unite union are again holding talks to avert these potential strikes.
Travelers should monitor this situation. Additional updates can be found at https://www.heathrow.com/.
British Airways
After British Airways’ pilots voted yes on a strike, the carrier went to court to seek an injunction against any job actions. However, the court turned down British Airways’ initial request and appeal. Union members are thus free to strike, though details of what the job action might entail have yet to be released as both sides agreed to resume negotiations this week. The union must give at least 14 days notice of any disruptions.
British Airways is posting updates on its website at https://www.britishairways.com/en-us/information/incident/strike/latest-information. The carrier notes that flights on BA CityFlyer to/from London City Airport including any regional flights along with flights on Comair and Sunair are unaffected by this industrial action, so they will continue to offer a full schedule over the period.
Ryanair
Ryanair pilots announced strikes for Aug. 23-24 and again Sep. 2-4. Travelers should note that only Ryanair pilots who are members of Balpa, the British pilots’ trade union are involved in the potential strike so many flights will still go ahead. In addition, Ryanair has a history of using replacement pilots in such situations. All Ryanair customers should monitor this ongoing situation but those with travel to/from the UK, especially Stansted Airport should be on alert for possible disruptions.
Please contact your Adelman travel consultant for additional information.