BA threatens to axe striking pilots’ discount ticket perk

BA pilots who go on strike this week will be stripped of generous travel perks for three years in a last-ditch bid by bosses to avert a crippling walkout.

Up to 280,000 passengers will be hit as a strike tomorrow and on Tuesday grounds almost all of the carrier’s 1,700 scheduled flights. All 40 flights between Heathrow and New York have been axed, along with a dozen to and from LA and departures to Delhi, Hong Kong and Johannesburg.

Members of the Balpa union are walking out after rejecting an 11.5 per cent pay rise over three years plus a 1 per cent bonus. The average BA captain is paid £167,000 plus £16,000 in allowances.

BA’s 4,300 pilots were emailed on Friday and warned that taking part in the walkout would be a ‘serious breach’ of their employment contracts and they would lose the travel perk for three years. Staff who have been at the airline for more than six months can buy tickets for themselves and up to three family members for 10 per cent of the full fare plus taxes.

But in the email, Angela Williams, BA’s director of people, said: ‘Any existing bookings for travel post the date when you took strike action will be cancelled.’ Striking pilots who live abroad and ‘commute’ by aircraft to either Heathrow or Gatwick – believed to number about 1,000 – will also lose their entitlement to discounted flights from October 31.

The punishment will mean that some pilots have to spend thousands more each year getting to work.

BA said: ‘We make no apology for doing everything we can to protect our customers from further disruption.’

Balpa said: ‘BA’s attitude will further inflame the BA pilots who have lost all confidence in their management.’

A third strike is set for September 27.