Aussie travellers face airport chaos as major strike planned for school holidays

Families are set for a travel nightmare after a major international airport voted to strike during the peak of upcoming school holidays. Here’s how it affects you.

Workers at Britain’s Heathrow Airport voted to walk off the job during the middle of the school holidays, dousing gasoline on travel chaos as staff shortages cause thousands of cancelled flights worldwide.

About 700 British Airways check-in staff and ground-handling agents at the country’s busiest airport voted to strike during the country’s summer break from July to September.

The move comes after staff shortages led to thousands of cancelled flights in recent weeks, with more than 15,000 passengers stranded on Monday as Heathrow cancelled 10 per cent of its scheduled departures.

Viral photos showed travellers sleeping on floors, while those that were able to get a seat were left without their baggage left behind at airport gates.

Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check at Heathrow in June. Picture: Getty Images

Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check at Heathrow in June. Picture: Getty Images

Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check at Heathrow in June. Picture: Getty Images

Precise dates for the industrial action, overwhelmingly approved by members of the GMB and Unite unions, have yet to be announced as workers seek to negotiate a rise in pay, which was cut during the Covid pandemic.

British Airways, which has cut about 13,000 jobs, has offered a 10 per cent one-off bonus but not a full restoration of previous pay.

The disruptions could get even worse as British Airways engineers, at Heathrow, Gatwick and in Scotland, as well as call centre staff in Newcastle and Manchester, vote on whether to strike over a separate pay dispute.

The earliest the strike could begin, due to laws requiring two weeks’ notice, is July 8, with the union saying the dates would be confirmed in the coming days and “are likely to be during the peak summer holiday period.”

Insiders predict the strike could begin on the weekend of July 9 and 10, the first weekend of the summer holidays for many English public schools.

That falls in the middle of Australia’s winter school holidays in July. But the strike could also impinge on spring school holidays that begin in September if the union chooses to delay the start of the strike or extend it into the end of the British summer.

Melbourne Airport Chaos

Crowds at the Brisbane domestic airport as people arrive or escape for the long weekend Picture: NCA NewsWire

Travellers and airport staff are pictured at Sydney International Airport with increased overseas travel causing chaos. Picture: NCA NewsWire.

“With grim predictability, holiday-makers face massive disruption thanks to the pigheadedness of British Airways,” Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said in a statement.

“GMB members at Heathrow have suffered untold abuse as they deal with the travel chaos caused by staff shortages and IT failures. At the same time, they’ve had their pay slashed during BA’s callous fire and rehire policy,” she said.

“What did BA think was going to happen?”

British Airways said in a statement that they were “extremely disappointed” with the strike despite their 10 per cent bonus offer amid pandemic losses to the company.

“We will of course keep our customers updated about what this means for them as the situation evolves,” the statement said.

British Airlines workers would join striking workers from Ryanair and budget airline easyJet

easyJet said on Monday that it was also planning to reduce its flights this summer to handle the severe staff shortages.

The airport workers would join the 40,000 staff that walked out this week from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which they threatened to “escalate” unless they reach a settlement.