Unite, the union representing more than 10,000 British Airways (BA) cabin crew, announced its members will strike March 20-22 and March 27-30. At the same time, Unite is balloting its members on a new labor contract offered by BA management. If members approve of the plan, the strikes will likely be called off; however, approval is unlikely. Expect London Heathrow (LHR) to be most heavily affected; BA promised that the London City Airport (LCY) would not experience any cancellations. Long-haul flights, especially those from abroad to the UK will most likely be less affected than domestic and European flights, but could still experience significant delays and cancellations. BA will replace some of the cabin crew with contract personnel; staffing long-haul flights will get priority. No flights operated by codeshare partners will be affected by the BA strike. The airline has not yet announced an emergency schedule, but will most likely do so five to seven days before start date of the strike. BA has announced, however, that passengers booked on flights from March 19-31 will be able to rebook, cancel or get a refund for flights free of charge. If the labor action takes place as planned, it would be one of the largest in BA history, affecting approximately one million passengers and grounding up to 1,000 flights. Despite Unite's strong support of the strike, it is unlikely that the labor action will take place for the entire duration announced; however, disruptions could nevertheless be severe. Expect the strike to go ahead as planned. Avoid booking BA flights March 20-30. Consider alternate carriers or means of transport. Allow additional time to reach destinations in the UK during the strike period. If rebooking is not possible, contact BA during the strike period and confirm the status of your flight. Our Corporate Travel Specialists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you need immediate assistance and your company has a designated Egencia Travel phone number, please call that number directly. If you do not have a designated number, in the U.S. please call us at 1-866-397-2677 or 1-702-939-2530. When traveling outside the U.S., please refer to the following, use the following local international customer service numbers. You can also reach us via e-mail by using our "support and feedback" form. Help and guidance resources are readily available in our Egencia Travel Support Center.

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