British Airways strike: What are the airline's plans now the walkout has been cancelled?

BA has yet to say if it will reinstate flights on 27 September after pilots called off industrial action

Revealed: British Airways' strike plans (British Airways)

More than 24 hours after British Airways’ pilots called off their planned strike for 27 September, the airline has yet to reveal its plans for the operation on that date and days on either side.

But research by The Independent shows that, unlike the previous strike days of 9 and 10 September, BA planned to run a skeleton operation on some of its key routes to and from Heathrow, its main base.

Here are the main questions and answers.

What’s the background?

Pilots employed by British Airways at its two main bases, Heathrow and Gatwick, voted overwhelmingly to strike in a dispute over pay.

Members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) walked out on 9 and 10 September, causing almost all flights to be grounded on those days – and a day or two on either side.

Only three flights are known to have been operated by British Airways. Two of them were to fulfil a promise to take the Scottish Rugby Union squad to Japan for the Rugby World Cup: a single Edinburgh-Heathrow and Heathrow-Tokyo flight. In addition, a Sydney-Singapore-Heathrow service operated.

The pilots had planned to strike again on Friday 27 September. But nine days beforehand, Balpa called off the strike to allow for “a period of reflection”.

How did British Airways respond?

Slowly. Over two hours after the union’s announcement, BA placed on its website the brief message: “The pilots’ union, Balpa, has called off its strike on 27 September. We are now considering the implications for our schedule and we will give updates in due course.”

It has not yet said if some or all of the cancelled flights will be reinstated.

But some BA flights will be taking off?

Yes, unlike in the previous strike, British Airways was evidently confident that it could operate a skeleton service on some key European services.

The Independent has found that tickets are available on two services to Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Stockholm Arlanda, and one each to Barcelona, Frankfurt, Geneva, Munich, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Zurich.

These represent a fraction of the normal operation – on most of these routes there are normally six, seven or eight flights a day.

The Independent has checked dozens of other routes and has found no services planned on domestic or long-haul routes, and none at all from Gatwick.

On the flights that are running, what are the fares like?

Extremely high. The Heathrow-Paris hop, which cover barely 200 miles and can involve as little as half-an-hour in the air, is selling for £359 in economy, while the 575-mile journey from Heathrow to Munich is priced at £582.

Is it likely that other flights will be reinstated?

The Independent has repeatedly asked British Airways, but without success. The problem is that the airline redrew its pilot, cabin crew and aircraft rosters to accommodate the strike on 27 September. Unpicking the process is an extremely complex procedure.

Furthermore, almost all 100,000 or so passengers booked on that date (and affected services on adjacent days) have accepted alternative flights or refunds. Therefore even if the flights are reinstated they would be relatively empty – at considerable cost to the airline and the environment.

I was booked to fly and my flight was cancelled. I accepted an alternative which is not as good. Will I be able to switch back if my flight is reinstated?

Probably, though at present it is academic since no extra flights have been scheduled.

I cancelled for a full refund and rebooked on a different airline. Can I get my money back on that new flight and go back to my BA one?

No. Your contract with British Airways ended when you accepted a refund.

I moved my dates and rebooked a hotel. I would like to move them back. Will BA pay for the accommodation costs?

It appears to have no legal obligation but is likely to consider issues like this on a case-by-case basis.

Could there be bargains around?

If the airline reinstates a significant proportion of its services, there may be. It is likely to focus on high-revenue routes with a late-booking profile, such as Heathrow-New York, rather than leisure links normally booked months ahead, including Florida and Caribbean services from Gatwick.

Might the pilots strike again?

Possibly, if British Airways does not agree to reopen negotiations. The mandate for strike action runs until January 2020.