THE British Airways pilot strike is expected to cause five days of flight cancellations.
Details of the walkout by the pilots were announced on Friday, saying the industrial action over pay would take place on September 9, 10 and 27.
The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) announced the strikes after 93 per cent of its members rejected an 11.5 per cent pay rise across three years.
But passengers have said that five days of scheduled flights between September 8 and 12 had been cancelled in response to the strike.
Dozens of passengers claimed they had trouble getting through to BA over concerns they may not get a refund for the axed flights.
Other passengers said they had received cancellation emails in error.
They say they had been told their flights had been scrapped but were told later their flights were still going ahead.
Other customers have complained saying they had been unable to get through to BA to make other arrangements.
The extend time for the cancellations over the actual strike days is caused by BA not wanting to send a plane on a long haul journey if the pilot was going to go on strike the following day, stranding the plane overseas.
BA said in a statement: “We are doing absolutely everything we can to prevent this unfair action from taking place and ruining our customers’ travel plans.
“Airlines have a very complex operation and during times of widespread disruption, there can be knock-on effects onto flights on other days.”
Abby Deem, 32, from Cambridge told the BBC her honeymoon plans had been “ruined” following the cancellation of her business class flight to Mauritius on September 9.
She said: “We’ve been looking forward to this flight for a year.
“Neither of us have ever had the luxury to travel business class, and after the wedding it seemed the perfect way to start our honeymoon.”
She said they had now booked economy flights with Emirates and estimated it would cost them an extra £500.
Jennifer Bond, from Manchester, said she was due to fly to Las Vegas with her fiancé Simon to get married but said their flights to and from the US had been cancelled – September 11 and 25.
She said: “Nearly two years of saving up and budgeting relentlessly and this happens three weeks before we fly.”
Jennifer added it had been “impossible” to get through to BA on the phone and so they had booked flights with Virgin costing them £700.
BA chief executive Alex Cruz said the pilots had been offered an “incredible, inflation-busting deal” which would take a captain’s pay to over £200,000 a year. He added that he felt the pilots had been “very badly served” by their union.
The pilots’ union, Bapla, said: “Over recent years BA pilots have made sacrifice after sacrifice to assist the company such as taking a pay cut, productivity increases, closing the final salary pension scheme, giving up annual leave days, a new rostering system, and reducing flying pay.
“In what is British Airways’ centenary year, this will be the very first time its pilots will go on strike. They do so as a last resort and with enormous frustration at the way the business is now being run.
“Our ballot is valid until January, and more dates may be announced until such time as this matter is resolved.”
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