The total grounding of the British Airways for two days after its pilots went on a strike over pay dispute is likely to have a cascading affect on students planning to travel to the U.K. for the new academic season, say online travel agencies.
The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) struck work on Monday and Tuesday after nine-month long talks with the management had failed. Some media reports suggest the strike is due to end at midnight on Tuesday though there could be cancellations on Wednesday too.
The pilots are also scheduled to go on a strike on September 27 and the airline’s website says it has not been notified of any further disruptions by the union and the law requires trade unions to give 14 days notice before any industrial action which will allow them to communicate changes to customers.
In a statement on Tuesday, the airline reiterated that it was willing to talk to the union, which had resorted to industrial action for the first time in its 100-year history. “We are very sorry that the cynical action of the pilots’ union has left our customers and colleagues in this position and remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA,” its spokesperson said.
The uncertainty surrounding the airline’s operations that has 51 flights a week to five destinations in India is likely to adversely affect students joining universities in the U.K. for the fall season.
“Due to the advance intimation of the strike by British Airways, we offered alternate options to our corporate travellers to minimise the inconvenience. However, the strike may have a percolating impact on the student community because of the September intake across universities in the U.K. We are assisting our customers by extending the benefits of British Airways and offering them a refund or other alternate flight options,” said Indiver Rastogi, President & Group Head - Global Business Travel - Thomas Cook (India) Limited.
In the year ending March 2019, 21,165 Indian students were granted Tier 4 (student) visas.
The airline will offer full refund or the option to re-book to another date of travel or alternative airline. It is also working with its partner airlines to schedule larger aircraft to take the maximum number of custom, the airline says on its website. Nearly two lakh passengers globally are expected to have been affected by the strike.
“With British Airways cancellation of its flights due to pilot strikes, affected passengers have been rebooked on other airlines wherever possible, or have been offered alternate dates of travel. At SOTC Travel we are ensuring that all our customers travelling on affected routes with pre-booked tickets are being accommodated by other airlines,” said Daniel D’souza, President & Country Head, Leisure at SOTC Travel.