What is the strike about?
Staff directly employed by Heathrow airport and belonging to the Unite union, including security officers,
firefighters and engineers, are in dispute with the employer over pay. They say they are not fairly rewarded,
and that Heathrow’s chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, earns in two days what some of the lowest paid
airport workers earn in a year.
Last-ditch talks are continuing. A spokesperson for Heathrow said yesterday: “Unite have rejected our
revised pay offer today. While we are disappointed, we will continue to seek an agreement at Acas
tomorrow.
“Unite is proceeding with its unnecessary strike action on 5 and 6 August and we regret that passengers
looking to get away on well-earned family holidays will be impacted.”
Industrial action is also planned for 23 and 24 August, unless an agreement is reached.
What is the possible impact?
When the series of strikes was first called, the union warned: “Summer travel chaos at Heathrow airport is
looming large ... in a move that could potentially shut down the airport.” Complete closure looks unlikely;
the airport promises “contingency plans that will ensure the airport remains open and operating safely.”
But Heathrow is the world’s busiest two-runway airport, and has very little slack in the system. If travellers
are delayed at security and arrive at the gate late, then the airline has to choose between keeping the plane
on the ground – which will trigger problems later on in the day – or departing without some of the
passengers on board, with all the problems that will create.
Or if a reduction in fire cover forces the closure of one of the two runways, the whole Heathrow operation
could swiftly start to unravel.
The other variable is how many of around 2,500 staff rostered to work on Monday and Tuesday stay at
home. Some airlines are tentative about cancellations on Tuesday, waiting to see what happens on Monday.
Which airlines will be most affected?
British Airways, which has more than half the flights at Heathrow, is far more susceptible than any other
carrier, because the vast majority of its business involves flying people to and from Europe’s busiest airport.
If Lufthansa or Air France encounters a long delay at Heathrow, it affects only a small part of the operation.
But for BA, any significant disruption, as we’ve seen already this summer with causes such as air-traffic
control or weather, can quickly lead to dozens of cancellations. Significant disruption would cost the airline
tens of millions of pounds.
Virgin Atlantic, which also stands to lose millions on its lucrative long-haul flights in August, is trying to
minimise problems by switching airports – moving some New York, Atlanta and Boston flights from
Heathrow to Gatwick.
What mitigations are planned at Heathrow?
The aim is to reduce the scale of the problem by cancelling 177 flights preemptively, affecting around
30,000 people and representing 7 per cent of the total number of arrivals and departures.
Annoyingly for many passengers, the exact flights have not yet been revealed. Airlines will make their own
choices. BA says it will notify affected travellers on Sunday.
On a normal day Heathrow has around 1,300 flights carrying 220,000 people.
If as many prospective passengers as possible are prepared to switch dates (or airports), the effects will be