The recent strikes against British Airways have affected the entire aviation industry. The controversy commenced when workers demanded their original pay reinstated after their 10% cut due to the pandemic.
The many workers who supported this movement allowed trade unions such as GMB and Unite Unions to support the prospect of a strike. Before announcing strike dates, the blocks gave British Airways the month of June to find a solution, but this only worsened matters. British Airways offered a one-time 10% bonus rather than returning to the previous wage amount. A majority of the employees demanded higher wages to match the increasing cost of living. While certain COVID restrictions have been relaxed, the industry as a whole is still having trouble keeping up with the growing demand for air travel. Approximately 13,000 British Airways employees were made redundant during the pandemic.
The prospect of a strike resulted in British airways cancelling 10,300 short-haul flights from August to October. In total, they have cancelled nearly 30,000 flights between April and October, but their long-haul flights remain unaffected. This gravely impacted airports in the UK, such as the Heathrow and Gatwick.
Due to this, the Department of Transport granted amnesty to airlines to lower the likelihood of disruption and last-minute cancellations over the summer by strengthening schedules due to excess cancellations. Airlines depend on the slots that airports provide them, granting them authorisation to take off or land at a specific time on a particular day. Under normal conditions, these airline carriers could risk losing their slots, which would cause them to lose revenue if they had to cancel flights. However, given the lack of planning for post-Covid air travel, carriers like RyanAir oppose the government’s offer of amnesty, as their business will suffer as a result of the slot waivers’ lower connectivity and fewer flights.
British Airways is providing full refunds to its customers and is assisting in rebooking them on another airline due to government mandates. However, this has backed up British Airways’ customer care with an influx of calls. Additionally, 4 out of 10 travel insurance policies do not cover flight cancellations brought on by the possibility of a strike. The entire aviation industry has taken a hit from this strike, and it seems British Airways will lose much more than their 4 billion pounds lost in the pandemic.
