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British Airways cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Heathrow airport over the Easter holiday week due to upcoming strikes by airport staff.
Airport security workers part of Unite union voted to strike between March 31, and Easter Sunday, April 9, over issues with pay. Heathrow has offered a 10% pay rise after pandemic-induced pay freezes.
Heathrow has advised airlines to reduce the number of passengers travelling during the period.
The strike will uniquely impact British Airways as the striking staff work in the Terminal 5 security area, used exclusively by the airline.
As a result, British Airways is set to cancel more than 300 flights – around 5% of its schedule. The airline said that most of its customers would be booked onto alternative flights within 24 hours or could be fully refunded.
A Heathrow spokesperson said it will be deploying 1,000 extra workers in the terminals to mitigate the disruption.
“We will not let these unnecessary strikes impact the hard-earned holidays of our passengers. Our contingency plans will keep the airport operating as normal throughout.”
A BA spokesperson said: “Following Heathrow’s requirement for us to reduce the number of passengers travelling during the period of its employees’ proposed strike action, we’ve regrettably had to make a small number of adjustments to our schedule. Our teams are continuing to work closely with Heathrow to ensure that our customers’ journeys run smoothly.”
Shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group
IAG,
the British Airways owner, rose 1%.
Shares in Ferrovial
FER,
the lead shareholder of Heathrow, rose 1%.
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