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Brian Cohen·
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Update: Strike Suspended at London Heathrow Airport for Monday, August 5, 2019 — But Still On for Tuesday

The strike which was scheduled to occur at London Heathrow Airport tomorrow, Monday, August 5, 2019 has been “suspended to allow for further talks at Acas”, according to an official statement was released by Unite, which is the largest union in the United Kingdom…

Update: Strike Suspended at London Heathrow Airport for Monday, August 5, 2019 — But Still On for Tuesday

…but the strike for Tuesday, August 6, 2019 is still on schedule to occur from 12:01 in the morning until 11:59 in the evening British Summer Time — unless it is averted at the last minute as a result from the talks which are now scheduled to occur tomorrow.

Acas is also known as the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, which is a Crown non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom.

The aforementioned message was posted at the official Twitter account of Unite.

Because the strike was called off only hours before it was set to begin, some collateral damage has already occurred, as flights have already been delayed or canceled — which has caused outrage by many travelers whose plans have been altered.

Some of the other responses were much stronger in language and tone, and are not exactly fit for reposting.

A dispute in pay is the main reason why greater than 4,000 workers — including security guards, engineers, passenger service operatives, and passenger service drivers — planned to walk off the job at the busiest airport in the United Kingdom.

This message at the official Internet web site of London Heathrow Airport remains unchanged but offers the following assurance and advice:

Unite the union plans to take industrial strike action at Heathrow on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 August, and Friday 23 and Saturday 24 August. We’d like to reassure you that the airport will continue to operate on these days as we put contingency plans in place. In the meantime, Heathrow remains committed to finding a solution with Unite to avoid further strike action.

Whilst most flights will operate as scheduled, to ensure your comfort, safety and security during this time, we are working with our airline partners to consolidate and reduce the number of flights operating during the strike period. Unfortunately, this does mean that some passengers will be moved onto different flights by their airlines. This is a difficult time for Heathrow, our airline partners, and above all our passengers, as the proposed strike action has been unreasonably designed to impact passengers taking well-deserved holidays. We apologise for any disruption to your journey, and appreciate your patience during this time.

If you are due to travel on one of the proposed strike days, your airline will be able to confirm the status of your flight — you will find their up to date contact information on our airline contact page. When contacting your airline, their advice may be that there is currently no update or change to your flight status; you should feel reassured that this means your flight is scheduled to depart without changes and we invite you to prepare for your flight as you booked it. However, to make sure you are as up to date as possible on your flight status, we would recommend that you contact your airline both in the days leading up to your flight and before travelling to Heathrow.

Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations

If you are traveling to or from London Heathrow Airport on Monday, August 5, 2019 or Tuesday, August 6, 2019, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to the industrial action which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option.

See also

If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary.

Here are 14 airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of this industrial action:

Summary

If all of the strikes which are detailed in this article come to fruition, traveling to, from or within the United Kingdom over the next 25 days will likely be nothing short of a nightmare — even if some or all of them do cancel at the last minute. If you have travel plans during that period of time, consider postponing them or altering them with other options — and if that is not possible, then at least keep yourself aware of the latest updates pertaining to these potentially stressful situations.

Whether or not the airline on which you are traveling as a passenger to or from London Heathrown Airport is on the aforementioned list, contact the airline on which you plan on traveling to find out if any refunds or travel waivers are being offered through which the dates of travel can be changed without any penalty…

…and even though some of the direct links lead to little more than cursory information and no word yet of a travel waiver, the direct links are provided just in case travel waivers — or any additional important information — are issued by the airline.

The legislation of European Union regulation EC 261/2004 requires airlines operating in Europe to ensure that passengers are rebooked on flights to reach their final destinations at the earliest opportunity possible — even if those flights are operated by other airlines. That is another option which is available to you if you are affected by the aforementioned strikes. If you do decide to file a claim and the airline refuses it, you can complete and submit this complaint form…

…and as outlined in Article 9 of that regulation, you may also be eligible for what is known as Duty of Care during an extensive delay of your flight — which may include the reimbursement of such items as meals and lodging after you first pay for them.

If you do not plan to purchase travel insurance, at least use a credit card or charge card which offers purchase protection of flights, lodging and rental vehicles.

Graphic ©2016 by Brian Cohen.

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