Flying with British Airways during Heathrow Strike - a few questions

Tunstallstoven

Hi again

So I've tried calling BA but am just stuck on hold the whole time. I'll continue to try and will update here if I get some answers. In the meantime, I wondered if anyone more experienced in such matters might have any thoughts or answers on the following...

(I'm flying on the 6th August at 07:30 to Prague)...

1. Some flights have already been cancelled. Mine hasn't (yet). Should we expect more flights to be cancelled or should the ones that are already to be cancelled be cancelled by now?

2. My coach gets to the airport at 04:30. Is three hours for checking in baggage, security etc. pushing it? Not that I can do much about it but nice to know...

3. BA are offering passengers to choose an alternative flight. That would be a real pain, but I guess if I have to I'll have to. But if I were to do that now, and then the strike be called off, could I revert to the original flight?

4. I I change my outbound flight, will my return flight still remain the same?


I appreciate there may not be answers, but in my mild panic I thought it worth a try

Many thanks

lisyloo

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49212984

1. Who knows, but I would expect these preemptive measures to be enough.

2. It says 2 hours for short haul. At that time your coach should not get stuck in traffic so seems fine to me.

3. No guarantee there would be space for you to revert. Personally I think you’d be mad to change proactively.

4. Yes.

Stop panicking. You cannot control what is going to happen, so just deal with it as and when. Easier said than done I know.
Researching the options is sensible, panicking wont help.
Good luck.

I’m flying long haul this month but my dates have not been mentioned.

Tunstallstoven

OK, I've stopped panicking...

Tunstallstoven

...and started again....

Was that long enough or should I try harder next time?

lisyloo

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Our flights don’t coincide with the strike timetable but my MIL (91) is very frail. I’m not worrying it about it too much. Que sera sera.

Tunstallstoven

lisyloo wrote: »

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Sorry, just my attempt at humour. (Black Humour).

lisyloo wrote: »

Our flights don’t coincide with the strike timetable but my MIL (91) is very frail. I’m not worrying it about it too much. Que sera sera.

Best of luck with your travels

Tunstallstoven

Well I got through on the phone... They are very quick to say that the strike is not confirmed yet, and that the press are getting ahead of themselves...

My flight is no longer showing in their website. I asked if this could be anything to do with the strikes or could it be because it's fully booked. She said there are still 14 seats available and it's still showing. I replied it's not on the website. She then said maybe they are keeping the seats free for others who are disrupted.

Hmmm...

In terms of my questions above...

1. Seems I had the wrong end of the stick yesterday, if in fact the cancelled flights have not been announced yet, which seems to be the case. So mine could still be one of them.

3. She said no. One free change only, so if I change now I'm stuck with that.

qwerty123456

Seagull27 wrote: »

Well I got through on the phone... They are very quick to say that the strike is not confirmed yet, and that the press are getting ahead of themselves...

My flight is no longer showing in their website. I asked if this could be anything to do with the strikes or could it be because it's fully booked. She said there are still 14 seats available and it's still showing. I replied it's not on the website. She then said maybe they are keeping the seats free for others who are disrupted.

Hmmm...

In terms of my questions above...

1. Seems I had the wrong end of the stick yesterday, if in fact the cancelled flights have not been announced yet, which seems to be the case. So mine could still be one of them.

3. She said no. One free change only, so if I change now I'm stuck with that.

They’ve stopped selling seats on your flight as yours is one of the flights that will be chosen for cancellation if the strike is not called off.

They will announce the cancellations tomorrow afternoon.

Tunstallstoven

qwerty123456 wrote: »

They’ve stopped selling seats on your flight as yours is one of the flights that will be chosen for cancellation if the strike is not called off.

What makes you think that? Experience? Knowledge? Logic? If you don't mind me asking that is

qwerty123456 wrote: »

They will announce the cancellations tomorrow afternoon.

Hmmm, now in a dilemma as to whether to change to a different flight now or wait.

Thanks for your input :beer:

Tunstallstoven

I’ve just got off the phone to BA, who told me:

– If I have not been contacted yet about my flight being cancelled, it will not be cancelled. All passengers whose flights have been cancelled have been told.

– I cannot change flight to another one at a London Airport between 01/08 – 12/08, or to another from Heathrow between those dates but excluding the 5th and 6th. I can only do this if they have sent me (or if my flight has) a “code”, which my flight doesn’t have because it is due to run on time and not up for cancellation.

– My flight no longer shows on the BA website. I asked why and he said because it is fully booked.

Some of what I’ve just been told is totally contradictory, even against what it says on the BA site itself!

Not good….

Tunstallstoven

If I can change flight, I’m thinking I might just jump ship (so to speak!!!) and change my flight to London City Airport. There’s one leaving there a few hours later so I’ve got plenty of time to get from Heathrow to LCY. It’s not ideal, it will add £25 to the journey and extra airport waiting time, but at least I’ll know I should be getting to my destination. And even if the strikes go ahead and my flight isn’t cancelled, at least at LCY I won’t be stuck in the middle of the chaos which might be going on at Heathrow.

Of course, I’ll be a bit gutted if the strike is called off and I’ve added the extra expenditure and hassle for nothing… But that’s what gambling is all about I suppose…

Curious to hear whether folk think I’m being sensible or rash???

Also, what none of the press seems to make clear is… If the strike is called off today, do things resume to business as usual? All press articles read as saying that the 172 (177 according to some) flights have been cancelled. Full stop. Done and dusted. But would they still be cancelled if the strikes are called off. I presume not, but are my presumptions correct?