Poor British Airways – their staff had originally threatened to walk out during the Christmas vacation last year, but a last minute court objection stopped their plans. Now the staff have once again voted that it is time to strike.
As of right now, the majority of BA cabin crew members will be on strike on March 20, 21 and 22 and again on March 27, 28, 29 and 30.
According to British Airways, not all flights will be canceled, but they have stopped selling tickets for all flights during these dates. On the flights that will operate, you should expect to face some major inconveniences, long delays and other hassles.
Flights operated by BA subsidiary BA CityFlyer will operate normally, as will the London City (LCY) to New York (JFK) flights.
On other flights that are not (yet) canceled, you will probably receive a limited in-flight service, as the cabin crew may have been replaced by pilots who have been retrained on how to serve food and beverages (along with any other cabin crew tasks).
Bottom line is this – if you are currently scheduled to fly on British Airways between March 19th and March 31st, consider finding another airline or delaying your travel plans.
BA will issue refunds or allow you to rebook without any additional charges.
I have been stranded at Heathrow during a BA strike, and I can assure you that the experience is not something I’d ever want others to experience. For the most up to date information on flight disruptions, check out the British Airways strike status pages.