One of my pet peeves while flying is when cabin crew turn up the heat too high after a meal.  If someone is too cold they can add clothes or a blanket, but if you are too hot you can’t really strip down.  Some airlines are worse than others at this, in my experience, and British Airways fairly consistently has cabin temperatures in mid 20s C (high 70s F), which in my view is too much to be comfortable.

It seems I’m not alone in this complaint – see the current thread on hot BA cabin temperatures on Flyer Talk.

The Unite union, following a year of disputes and strikes by cabin crew at British Airways, is set to inflict yet more significant inconvenience on UK travellers (source BBC).  Workers at the BAA airports (Heathrow, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton) are set to strike soon forcing the closure of those airports.  Note Gatwick and Manchester are not BAA airports.  Dates are not yet announced but anticipated to be late August (a minimum 1 week notice is required).

Recently both EU and US regulators approved anti-trust immunity for American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia on the important trans-Atlantic routes with minimal conditions.  Oneworld was the last of the 3 main airline alliances to get approval to co-operate closely on flights between USA and Europe.  This means finally members of British Airways Executive Club and American AAdvantage will (in the near future) be able to earn and redeem on each other’s flights which has been a source of irritation for many frequent flyers for years.

Today, Oneworld announced Air Berlin will be joining the alliance (hat tip View from the Wing).  No firm date has yet been given but normally it takes 12-18 months for an airline to complete entry into an alliance (Air India joining Star Alliance being a notable exception to this rule of thumb).  Air Berlin is considered by some to be an odd choice – they aren’t quite full service nor low cost, and remind me a little of Australia’s Virgin Blue.  I’ll be watching how well they integrate into the alliance with interest.

Over half of BA’s flights are operating in the latest round of cabin crew strikes – 24 to 28 May, with more strikes due 30 May to 3 June and 5 to 9 June. Thus the impact on flyers hasn’t been as bad as it could have been, but nonetheless disruptive to the travel plans of thousands.

So I’m wondering if I’m doing the right thing by booking more British Airways flights for later this year. Surely the strike (and Iceland volcanic eruption) will be over by December? My recent track record hasn’t been great. Each of the last couple of trips which include BA flights, and the next one, fell/fall on strike dates.

Has the lengthy dispute affected your willingness to fly BA?

The British Airways cabin crew union Bassa has won their appeal against the recent injunction and their strike is back on again.  The planned strike days are

24-28 May
30 May-3 June
5-9 June

BA has a webpage with information for affected travellers.

The first part of the planned 20-day BA cabin crew strike is cancelled by court injunction (source BBC).  BASSA, the cabin crew union, is appealing the decision. If they win an appeal then the strike will be back on again 19 May to 9 June.

This is the second time in this dispute that British Airways has managed to halt a strike before it commenced on technicalities – the planned Christmas 2009 strike was also cancelled by court injunction.

The long running dispute between British Airways and BASSA, a cabin crew union, continues.  New strike dates have been announced for:

18-22 May
24-28 May
30 May-3 June
5-9 June

(source BBC)

For those keeping track, there have been strikes and attempted strikes in December & March (twice). In the March round of strikes, British Airways operated a significant proportion of flights (almost all longhaul flights and most shorthaul) and I’d expect the same again this time.

Between strikes, threat of strikes and Icelandic volcanoes it has been a rough time to be flying BA.

British Airways will post information on flight cancellations & rebookings on their website here.

In late February some Lufthansa pilots had a 4-day strike that ended after 1 day to allow more talks. A further strike was called for 13-16 April, however it has just been confirmed this Lufthansa strike is now cancelled.

For British Airways passengers it is a matter of waiting for news. The cabin crew unions which have struck twice already promised a third strike after Easter. No specific dates have been called yet, but neither has the strike been called off. At least 7 days notice is required.

ATW reports that 6 cabin crew unions at Air France are intending to strike on 28-30 March.  The potential overlap with the British Airways cabin crew strike is apparently not coincidental (source BBC).

BASSA, a union for cabin crew on British Airways have announced a strike in the lead up to Easter. The strike dates are 20-22 March and 27-30 March 2010.  Some flights on the subsequent dates (ie 23-26 March, 31 March and 1-2 April) may be disrupted as BA gets the schedules back to normal.

Not all British Airways flights will be disrupted

Codeshare flights operated by other airlines are not affected (except to the extent they may be fuller than normal).

Many flights will operate as normal.  All flights to/from London City airport are unaffected, as are all longhaul flights from London Gatwick. Other flights may be affected. Cancellations of specific flights have not yet been announced but the British Airways strike information page will be updated frequently with the latest cancellations.

Service changes to some (not all) flights

Some shorthaul flights (between London Heathrow and UK/Europe) will use chartered aircraft. Seating and service will vary from normal BA standards.

Some flights will have trained other (non cabin crew) staff as part of the cabin crew and will have reduced service. For example no hot meals and reduced catering.

Other flights will have normal service.

What to do if you are flying BA?

Firstly do not panic. You may not be affected – through flying on flights that operate as normal, or if the strike is called off.  If you are affected there are options, both proactive and reactive.

If you are flying British Airways between 19 and 31 March, and this is not to/from London City airport or London Gatwick on longhaul flights, then you can cancel and get a full refund or rebook.

The full refund applies even on the most restricted tickets. According to the information at time of writing, cancellation must be done before BA announces specific rebooking options (this is harsh). Those who cancel and then want to rebook (eg if their flight does not end up being cancelled) are treated as new customers and need to pay the new fares, which may be very high.  Hotels and other land activities booked with BA at the same time as the flights will also be refunded. For other costs (eg hotels booked independently), consult your travel insurance policy.

Rebooking to alternative dates is allowed right now and most fare rules are being waived to allow this.

Rebooking to other airlines or other flights is not yet occurring. This option will be available once British Airways works out which flights will need to be cancelled. Initially I’d expect they’ll announce cancellations for 20-22 March only.  Those travelling on full fares, or travellers with BA or Oneworld elite frequent flyer status may have more options than other passengers.

As previously advised, you can help by doing some basic research on other flights to your destination, considering carefully whether you can change dates or are willing to risk the uncertainties of flying BA over the next week or two.