Anyone know what happens when/if your flights are cancelled due to strikes?

[mumoverseas]

Am getting slightly anxious about the threat of BA strikes over the Christmas/New Year period.
We've been told by someone who works in the travel industry that it is highly likely they will go on strike, and if they do it will have to be after the 22nd December due to ballots.

Does anyone know what happens if they do strike. ie do they give any notice of this and do they simply cancel your flights, put you on a later flight or try to get you on with another airline (which is what someone has suggested happens) We are due to fly home to the UK within a few days of Christmas as DC1 and 2 at boarding school in the UK and a little concerned at what will happen if our flights cancelled and they will be waiting for us to collect them and won't be there.

Anyone any experience of what happens in the event of a strike?

We're due to fly on the 21st with BA and have similar concerns. I spoke to an advisor at BA yesterday who said that if our flight was affected by the strike action they would either offer us a full refund, a flight on a different day or possibly a flight with a different airline who are part of the OneWorld group.
They should be announcing any strike action next week though so you will have some time to organise what to do if you are affected.

Fingers crossed!

That is useful information that you were given (if its accurate as you just never know in these situations)
I think you will be safe (on your outbound flight) as the information I received was that the earliest day they will be allowed to strike is the 22nd December.
My concern is that we are flying to the UK from the middle east and all the travel agents will be shut the two days before we fly so god only knows who we can talk to out here if they do go on strike.
We were originally due to fly on the 28th (booked it in April) but then BA cancelled that flight in the summer without telling us, we just heard rumours and when checked found they'd put us on the flight on the 29th which is no good for us as have to be back by midday 28th to pick up DC. We therefore had to push to get it changed to 27th. Therefore, if they strike on 27th we probably won't get on a flight for a few days Full refund doesn't really help when two DC are stranded at Heathrow waiting for me
We also don't get much news out here so if you do hear anything next week could you please post on here? Thanks
Fingers crossed for you too. Where are you off to?

They have voted to strike 9-1 in favour. As they have to give 7 days notice, the earliest day the strike could be is 21st Dec.

At the moment they haven't announced the dates. The belief at the moment is that it is more likely to affect short haul flights rather than long haul.

Latest is that they will strike between 22nd Dec and 02nd Jan.

Saying at the moment there could be 12 days of strikes but no definite confirmation of what action they will actually be taking during those days.

Also very anxious. Booked to go to Seattle on the 22nd, back on the 31st. We've even had dd's main present delivered to her grandparents over there As if the holidays weren't stressful enough!

there is a whole new thread on this on chat but I am crap at IT and don't know how to link, sorry

We are buggered. Have been told that its 12 full days they are striking (that is what is on sky news) so as it stands we won't get home to pick my (minor) children up.
4 other families we know are affected as well and one family are likely to be stranded in New York.

Acinonyx hope you manage to get alternate flights sorted. At the moment they are staying that if you are travelling with 48 hours of the strikes dates (so between 20th Dec and 4th Jan) you can change your dates to another time within the next 12 months. Doesn't help us though but perhaps you could go a few days earlier and come back a few days later?
There is more information on the other thread on chat about who to contact

I would not panic unduly as yet and see what the next 24-48 hours brings. We can fly out without a hitch but our return date is within this current strike period.

BA have a responsibility to get you to your destination albeit on another airline or via a re-routing.

Thats what I thought Attila but we are being told here (Middle East) that the only option is a later flight with them (which would be at least 7 days after we were due to fly) as they don't have a 'relationship' with the other airlines that fly our route.

Where are you flying to?

mumsoverseas,

Orlando.

If I learn anything new in the following days till the weekend I will write it on here.

Good luck to you.

at Attila. Wish I was going out there. Hope you have a lovely time.

Hope you get something sorted mumoverseas. I think we are all relying on the BA website and contacts for news.

We can fly out on the 20th but don't know when we will be flying back. Coming back later means dd missing school (can't send her straight back the next day after an 8 hour time shift), and also dh is booked to fly out again on business on the 5th. We're also supposed to be hosting a party on the 4th , panto tickets for the 2nd, etc etc

Thanks Acinonyx problem is, they are saying one thing on the website, ie if travelling within 48 hours of the strike dates you can change to another date within 12 months free of charge. We tried that, they insisted we had to pay to change.
They also say will refund if cancelled. We asked for clarification and they say will only refund if we hang on til the last minute (ie a few hours before) and it is cancelled. Bearing in mind I MUST be back to collect two children, I can't do that.

We therefore have to pay out for new flights and the price has actually trebled since 10pm last night.
We've also paid for panto tickets, ice skating and made plans to visit people etc. and they have buggered it all up.

That is so frustrating. I have had experience of how business run services will wriggle out of compying on some technicality or other. I gather you have a complicated ticket history which shouldn't, on the face of it, make any difference but presumabaly they have found some small print that let's them get away with it.

We used to live in the ME too and I remember how difficult it was to sort this stuff out.

Acinonyx we have just shelled out £1,500 for alternative flights as couldn't take the risk of not getting home to collect my childen. Really don't hold out any hope of a refund out here.
On the other thread someone gave good information and a contact number where you can apparently get through. That poster managed to get through and got her flight dates changed.
Hope you can get something sorted.

Atilla will you be able to stay on at the accommodation you've booked if your flight back is delayed? If not, give me a shout and maybe you could stay at my house out there if you are desperate (just off the 192)

mumoverseas,

That is very kind of you to make such an offer.

I think though we can stay on at the accommodation we've booked if flight back to UK is cancelled. My guess is that they will re-route us on that day via another US airport but who knows, we can only but wait and see. Should make for an interesting couple of days!.

I've heard on the radio that BA and the union are currently in talks.

Am very sorry to see that you've had to pay out again for alternative flights. That is certainly something that you could well have done without.

Good luck to you

BA's proposed strike next week has been declared illegal by the High Court.

www.bbc.co.uk/news has the information on it.

BBC site says strikes will not go ahead.