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How Heathrow airport strikes could threaten your holiday travel plans

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Strikes are kicking off at Heathrow Airport today, threatening travel during the Early May Bank Holiday .

Planes could be grounded and flights delayed or cancelled at the busiest airport in London .

Two separate rounds of industrial action were planned for the end of this month and the beginning of May.

One dispute has now been resolved, but heavy disruption is still expected.

In 2023, Heathrow handled almost 80 million (79,180,434) passengers, also making it  one of the busiest  in the world.

This is everything you need to know if you are planning to travel from Heathrow during this period.

What strikes are planned at Heathrow Airport?

The  Heathrow Border Force workers are striking  between 5am today and 7am on Friday May 3, involving the offices working on passport control across Heathrow terminals two, three, four and five.

That includes 300 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS).

Refuellers for Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) were also due to take industrial action for 72 hours beginning on Saturday.

However, their strike was called off this afternoon after a new pay and conditions offer was accepted.

Previously, a strike had been scheduled between April 11 and 14, but it was called off a week before it was due to begin as PCS were waiting for the Home Office to ‘demonstrate they are genuinely seeking a resolution’, according the organisation’s general secretary Fran Heathcote.

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Another strike will take place for almost a week, from Tuesday, May 7, to Monday, May 13.

This is due to a separate dispute involving members of Unite the union who work in passenger services and security.

All the action is taking place around is a Bank Holiday weekend – one of the busiest travelling weekends of the year.

Why are border control staff striking?

Heathrow Border Force workers are striking over changes to their working conditions, PCS trade union revealed earlier in April.

The strike will see its members walk out over an issue with the new rostering system, which PSC representatives claim ‘would have a detrimental effect on all the current staff and leave nearly 250 without a job on passport control, including many with disabilities or caring responsibilities.’

Unite also confirmed that, between May 7 and May 13, almost 800 workers will walk out over plans to outsource hundreds of roles in an effort to cut costs.

Ms Heathcote said: ‘It’s disappointing that despite talks last week, the Home Office is not prepared to grant any flexibility to their new roster.

‘None of our dedicated and highly-experienced members in the Border Force want to take strike action but the way they’ve been treated by their employer leaves them with no option.

‘The Home Office still have time to prevent tomorrow’s strike if they agree to abandon this unworkable new system.’

‘There are no job losses as a result of these changes, and we continue to discuss with Unite the implementation of these changes for the small number of colleagues impacted,’ a spokesperson for Heathrow previously told Reuters.

‘To confirm, we have robust contingency plans in place for each of these individual areas and anticipate no impact on passenger journey.’

Heathrow said the airport’s reorganisation would see all passenger-facing security sourced in-house, with small trolley operations and passenger logistics teams transferred to third-party suppliers (who already work with the airport).

Why were refuelling staff planning to strike?

Refuelers said their employer had imposed drastic cuts to the terms and conditions of new staff recruited since January 2024.

Unite accused AFS, a joint venture between oil and gas companies, of ‘bully-boy tactics’, saying it is attacking the ‘most vulnerable new staff’ in its workplace by offering them reduced pension and sickness benefits.

But after negotiations, the union said the employer has agreed to improve the benefits offered to new workers to bring them closer in line with existing staff.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘This is another victory for Unite in its campaign for members’ pay and conditions, and workers at AFS should be congratulated for standing firm against their employer and winning these improved terms.’

Another 800 Unite members are planning to strike later in May due to what the union called ‘deplorable action’ from the airport’s management.

The union said workers in passenger services, who assist travellers to catch connecting flights, trolley operations, and security guards will have their jobs outsourced by June.

Ms Graham vowed to give striking staff ‘unrelenting support’, adding: ‘Heathrow Airport’s actions are deplorable.

‘It is raking in massive profits for the bosses while trying to squeeze every last penny out of its workforce.’

What impact will the industrial action have on flights?

Border Force staff mostly only check arrivals at UK airports, so the greatest impact will be on people landing from abroad.

Though it isn’t clear what plans the Home Office has for dealing with potential staff shortages, during the last walk-out in December 2022, military personnel and civil servant volunteers were trained up to replace Border Force staff and deal with delays.

A spokesperson said: ‘We have robust plans in place to minimise disruption where possible, but we urge passengers to check the latest advice from operators before they travel.’

If passengers do experience delays to their flight as a result, they won’t be able to access compensation as the issue is beyond the airlines’ control.

However, the airline will need to provide frequent updates and, if needed, an alternative flight, as well as meals and accommodation during the delays.

What is Heathrow Airport’s response?

Regarding the industrial action planned by staff in passenger services, a Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: ‘We are reorganising our operations to deliver better results for our customers.

‘There are no job losses as a result of these changes, and we continue to discuss with Unite the implementation of these changes for the small number of colleagues impacted.

‘Unite’s threats of potential industrial action are unnecessary, and customers can be reassured that we will keep the airport operating smoothly, just like we have in the past.’

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Heathrow strikes called off last minute in huge boost for holidaymakers

Unite warned flights would be cancelled and passengers hit by travel chaos as unionised airport workers prepared to walk out. Refuelers working for Aviation Fuel Services at Heathrow Airport have now cancelled the flight

• 16:44, 29 Apr 2024

A strike targeting Bank Holiday travellers has been called off after an agreement was reached.

Unite warned flights would be cancelled and passengers hit by travel chaos as unionised airport workers prepared to walk out. Refuelers working for Aviation Fuel Services (AFS) at Heathrow Airport were due to take industrial action for 72 hours beginning on Saturday 4 May, potentially grounding as many as 35 airlines. The workers said that their employer imposed drastic cuts to the terms and conditions of new staff recruited since January 2024.

It was announced this afternoon that the refuelers have now called off their planned strike after they accepted a new and improved pay and conditions offer from their employer. Unite said that AFS has agreed to improve the pension and sick leave offered to new workers to bring them closer in line with existing staff.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "This is another victory for Unite in its campaign for members' pay and conditions and workers at AFS should be congratulated for standing firm against their employer and winning these improved terms."

Before the strike was called off, Unite warned it would impact household names such as Virgin, Delta, Emirates and Air France. The union claimed that staff were "furious at the imposition of a two-tier workforce" and had argued that it represents a potential “race to the bottom” for staff across the company.

A spokesperson for Aviation Fuel Services Ltd commented: "We are pleased to confirm that the planned industrial action involving AFS from May 4 to 7 has now been cancelled and normal service will go ahead."

While the refuelers strike has been cancelled, another is still due to go ahead at Heathrow Airport in the coming weeks .

Unite has said close to 800 workers from across a number of different roles in the travel hub will leave their posts from midnight on May 7 to the end of May 13 in a major display of industrial action in opposition to outsourcing. The union has strongly criticised Heathrow management for planning to outsource hundreds of roles in a cost-cutting exercise.

Unite has accused Heathrow of ignoring existing consultation procedures by announcing that workers who assist travellers to catch connecting flights, trolley operations employees and campus security who check all vehicles they enter the airport will be outsourced by 1 June.

The three outsourced areas are being joined in industrial action by firefighters and airside operations from Heathrow Airport Limited who are also fighting back against the outsourcing.

Unite has warned that fire service and airside operations could be next in line for outsourcing and has called for a 'multilateral collective bargaining agreement', which would allow different groups of workers across the airport to join together in their negotiation efforts.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: "Heathrow Airport’s actions are deplorable, it is raking in massive profits for the bosses while trying to squeeze every last penny out of its workforce. Unite is fully focussed on defending its members jobs, pay and conditions and our members at Heathrow will receive the union’s unrelenting support during this dispute."

Heathrow has suggested the impact of the strikes will be limited, noting that "there was no disruption to passengers during the 2023 strikes". The travel hub has also promised that there will be no job losses, and that "all those who want to continue working at Heathrow will be able to do so on the same pay and T&Cs".

It went on to claim that the "reorganisation" will bring "all passenger-facing security in-house while formally transferring a small trolly operations team and a small passenger logistics team" to third party suppliers already working at Heathrow.

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Hundreds of Heathrow Border Force officers to start four-day strike

More than 300 workers will take action over plans to introduce rosters that could force 250 of them out of jobs

Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow airport will begin a four-day strike on Monday in a dispute over working conditions.

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said more than 300 of its members will walk out from 5am on Monday to 7am on Friday.

The union said the workers, based at Heathrow terminals two, three, four and five, are protesting against plans to introduce rosters they say would force about 250 of them out of their jobs at passport control.

The union’s general secretary, Fran Heathcote, said: “It’s disappointing that despite talks last week, the Home Office is not prepared to grant any flexibility to their new roster.

“None of our dedicated and highly experienced members in the Border Force want to take strike action but the way they’ve been treated by their employer leaves them with no option.

“The Home Office still have time to prevent tomorrow’s strike if they agree to abandon this unworkable new system.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with the union’s decision to strike but remain open to discussing a resolution with the PCS.

“The changes we are implementing will bring the working arrangements for Border Force Heathrow staff in line with the way staff work at all other major ports, provide them with more certainty on working patterns and improve the service to the travelling public.

“We have robust plans in place to minimise disruption where possible, but we urge passengers to check the latest advice from operators before they travel.”

The Home Office has not applied to use a recently passed law aimed at guaranteeing a minimum level of service during strikes.

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Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, said: “Travellers will understandably be concerned about upcoming strikes and what this could mean for them. If you are travelling in or out of Heathrow on these days, be prepared for longer queues and delays.

“Travellers should also ensure they have comprehensive travel insurance from the date they book their trip and check the policy carefully: not all will cover them in the event of strikes by airline or airport staff, for example.”

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Are airport strikes affecting gatwick, stansted and luton as heathrow workers walk out.

Today (April 29) is the first day of two weeks of strike action that will affect Heathrow Airport . Delays are expected at the country's busiest airport as workers in different departments will be taking strike action over the next 14 days.

From today (April 29) to May 3, Border Force officers will be walking out, followed by refuelling workers from May 4 to May 6. After that, from May 7 to May 13, 800 staff in passenger services, trolley operations, and campus security will strike too.

These strikes are for Heathrow Airport and the question has been asked whether these strikes will affect the other London airports of Gatwick, Stansted and Luton.

READ MORE: London strikes in April and May from Tube and National Rail to Heathrow and NHS

There were planned strikes that would affect Gatwick Airport, due to be from Friday, April 16 to Monday, April 29 but they were suspended. These airline catering strikes were set to be taken by members of Unite employed by dNata over cuts in their pay.

Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: “Following an improved offer from dNata, Unite has suspended strikes in order to ballot its members on the new offer.” There are still potential strikes to happen later in May depending on the vote of the ballot from Friday, May 3 to Monday, May 6 and from Friday, May 10 to Monday, May 13. The Heathrow and Gatwick strikes are unrelated.

Stansted, Gatwick and Luton airports will be affected by the train strikes set to take place from May 7 to May 9 by drivers' union Aslef. The rolling one-day walkouts are over pay and working conditions.

On Tuesday, May 7, the Stansted Express will be running a heavily reduced service. They expect to run one hourly service to and from the airport potentially causing travel disruption.

Luton Airport will be affected on May 7 with strikes on Thameslink trains and on May 8 on East Midlands Railway services. Gatwick will be hit by strike action affecting Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink & Great Northern services to the airport on May 7.

It is advised to check your travel route if you need to get to one of these airports next week.

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The industrial action set to take place on May 7-8 has been called off after discussions with the officials of Britain's busiest airport, the union said. "The remaining days of strike action from 9-13 May are still due to go ahead pending the outcome of any further negotiations," the union added. Unite said last month that nearly 800 workers would strike for a week in May, as Heathrow did not enter into negotiations with the union about alternatives to outsource the workforce.

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Colorado News | Service dog bites passenger, American Airlines…

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Colorado news | service dog bites passenger, american airlines employee at denver international airport, the bites involved a passenger with a service dog.

The airport’s media team confirmed that an incident took place last week between an employee of American Airlines and a passenger with a service dog. Bella, a Belgian Malinois, bit the airline worker and a passenger waiting for a flight on the morning of April 26, said Denver Department of Public Health & Environment spokesperson Tammy Vigil.

The airline staff member was bit in the face, and the bystander was bit in the forearm, Vigil said.

The injuries are individually considered a level 4 out of 6 on Dr. Ian Dunbar’s Dog Bite Scale, but, because they combined into a multiple-bite incident, the ratings are escalated to a level 5 out of 6, Vigil said. A level 6 is reached if the victim dies.

According the dog bite scale, the final two levels mean “the dog is extremely dangerous.”

The responding Denver Animal Protection officer didn’t confirm whether the dog was an official service animal. “That said, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ‘service animals in training’ are afforded the same legal protections as fully-trained service animals and generally need to be considered the same in places like the airport and airlines,” Vigil said.

The dog is being held at Denver Animal Shelter on a bite quarantine for 10 days until May 6, Vigil added. She declined to provide the owner’s identity because of an ongoing investigation.

The Denver Police Department directed questions to Denver Animal Protection. The American Airlines media team didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Dubai to scrap dual airport operations once move to mega-hub at Al Maktoum is complete

LATEST: Dubai South set to boom with new homes, schools and transport routes

Dubai International Airport (DXB) will likely be shut down once the transition is completed in a decade to the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International .

The massive task of moving all passenger operations from Dubai International to Al Maktoum International will occur gradually in phases, leaving the new facility as the emirate's sole mega-hub, Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths told The National on Monday.

The new airport, with five times the capacity of DXB, will also open opportunities to redevelop the prime real estate around the airport in Al Garhoud, he said.

“The way the city is growing is towards the south, so Dubai World Central (DWC) will be a very convenient and quick journey once all the road and rail networks are in place. It is quite probable that once the transition is complete, DXB will close to traffic and enable the redevelopment of the whole Al Garhoud area,” Mr Griffiths said.

There are tremendous opportunities for development in and around the existing airport. I cannot foresee that we will be operating it for very long [after the switch to Al Maktoum] Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports

Dubai International Airport's city centre location makes it difficult to expand further.

“There are tremendous opportunities for development in and around the existing airport. I cannot foresee that we will be operating it for very long. The idea of DWC is to get enough capacity to accommodate the future travel demand with an initial capacity of 150 million passengers and extending that to 260 million once all phases are completed.”

Mr Griffiths' comments came a day after Dubai said it approved designs for a new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International and began construction at a cost of Dh128 billion ($34.8 billion).

It also comes after DXB home carriers Emirates and flydubai announced massive multi-million dollar orders at the Dubai Airshow in November for widebody aircraft that will require space to accommodate their growing fleet and their expansion plans.

The latest announcement comes after Dubai had set out an earlier plan in 2014 for a $33 billion expansion of DWC in phases. It also called for growing the airport to become one of the world’s biggest, with an annual capacity of more than 250 million passengers once completed.

Revisiting the plan comes amid a surge in passenger traffic through DXB and as the airport edges closer to its maximum capacity amid higher travel demand.

Operator Dubai Airports is now in the detail design phase where decisions must be made on the hub's final configuration, operational philosophy, relationship with ground transport, customer service plan, F&B and retail strategy.

“There is a huge amount of work and detail design to be undertaken … we have our work cut out for us,” Mr Griffiths said.

The operational testing of the massive infrastructure will require intensive efforts and proofing the entire construction.

“It is very complex. The volume and scale of what we envision is unprecedented,” Mr Griffiths said.

“What a fantastic opportunity this is to make a real imprint on global aviation industry and what a very exciting project. The team will deliver something breathtaking.”

Mr Griffiths said it is “too early” to provide details about the awarding of contracts given the large volume of work to be done on the detail design phase.

“Once we've got the detailed design, then the packages can be let to the contractors,” he said.

Airlines move to Al Maktoum

Managing the transition of airlines operating at DXB, including home carriers Emirates and Flydubai, to Al Maktoum Airport will be a “massive undertaking” and will likely unfold in phases, according to Mr Griffiths.

“It will not be in one go, it's far too big an undertaking to happen in one move. It will be something that we have to manage very carefully because Dubai Airports takes pride in the way it manages infrastructure,” he said.

Emirates, the world's largest airline by international traffic, has a fleet of 260 aircraft and carried 43.6 million passengers in its last fiscal year.

Its sister airline flydubai's fleet includes 86 aircraft and it carried 13.8 million passengers last year.

DXB is currently connected to 262 destinations across 104 countries through 102 international airlines, according to its latest data.

“Inevitably this [transition] won't be a quick or easy process. No airport move at this sort of scale has been undertaken,” he said.

“Our entire airline community will ultimately transition to DWC and we will work out a detailed programme nearer the time.”

Inevitably this [transition] won't be a quick or easy process. No airport move at this sort of scale has been undertaken Paul Griffiths

Project of the future

Dubai's ambitions for the new passenger terminal will have reverberations globally, as DXB is already the world's biggest airport by international passenger traffic, Mr Griffiths said.

“This is tremendously big news for the world's aviation community. It underpins the growth story of Dubai’s whole aviation enterprise for the next 50 years. It was inevitable to make this decision because DXB was founded in 1960 and is now a constrained site,” he said.

The bold 10-year plan also underscores the direct relationship between the emirate's economic growth and the rise of its aviation sector, while contrasting with other cities' slower progress in completing crucial airport infrastructure projects, he said.

Many expansion projects including at London's Heathrow Airport and Berlin's Brandenburg Airport have faced several challenges and delays in moving forward.

The idea behind DWC's new passenger terminal is to “provide enough airfield capacity to cope with the future shape and size of the aviation industry as it will be in 10 years' time”, Mr Griffiths said.

More airlines are moving towards deploying new-technology, fuel-efficient narrow-body aircraft that have longer range and better operating costs per seat, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Single-aisle planes such as the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320 Neo will dominate aircraft deliveries over the next two decades, according to Boeing's 2023 Commercial Market Outlook .

New narrow-body planes will account for more than 75 per cent of all new deliveries, up slightly from the 2022 outlook, and totalling 32,420 aircraft.

The smaller jets means airports are required to accommodate more flight movements to carry the same capacity, Mr Griffiths said.

“We have to adapt with the times and the changes in the industry, and this is a significant one that's coming.”

Strong travel demand

Dubai Airports is certain that the future demand for air travel via Dubai will remain strong, necessitating the need for the massive new terminal.

“I can say with great confidence that within 10 years we will exceed the capacity ceiling of DXB and this move is a perfect timing for it,” Mr Griffiths said.

“We've managed to get the absolute best out of DXB. We're right at the edges of what's possible in the limited geography.”

The forecast travel demand “absolutely” justifies the capacity of 150 million annual passengers in the first phase of DWC's expansion, given the compounded growth rate of DXB and the forecast that it will “comfortably” exceed 90 million passengers this year, he said.

DWC has several future development stages that will allow an additional 110 million annual passenger capacity to be added in the second phase.

“There’s a growth platform to see us well into the 2050s and 2060s,” he said.

Asked how the mega-project will be funded, Mr Griffiths said the decision ultimately rests with Dubai's Department of Finance, but that DXB's robust performance and revenue base makes for a strong case for project financing.

“Overall it’s the right project at the right time and I'm confident demand will be there to satisfy the capacity being built and in general, economically, confidence in the city and the aviation sector to fund and finance the project.”

Mr Griffiths, 66, also hopes to continue to manage the project through to its end.

“I'd love to be around to see it come to fruition and cut the ribbon but let's see if I'm fit … then I’d love to be there. It will be a crowning glory of a long involvement in the aviation sector.”

Regional airport expansion

The new airport terminal project follows the opening of the new Terminal A building at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport and comes after Saudi Arabia outlined its ambitious plans for a new major airport in Riyadh as part of its broader aviation development strategy.

But Dubai's new plans are not a reaction to these regional aviation developments, Mr Griffiths said.

“We are proud to have a strategy to keep us No 1 in the future … it's not a response, it's a proactive stance to ring-fence our position as the No 1 aviation hub,” he said, pointing to earlier ambitions to develop DWC as a future growth site ever since its opening in 2010.

However, he did acknowledge the “hugely competitive environment” with massive projects being developed in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia.

“There is competition for construction resources, so we have to get our heads around that,” he said.

But he also welcomed the growth of aviation hubs across the region, which will support travel and tourism and enable local hubs to become more competitive with their global counterparts.

“It's good for the social development of the region. We will see dramatic changes for prosperity in the region due to significant changes in the aviation infrastructure. People say there’s overcapacity, but the region seems to absorb all the capacity we introduce,” he said.

“I'm very confident that these projects will [ultimately] make sense, especially when the rest of the world is failing to invest in their aviation infrastructure. We're happy for the Middle East to outstrip the rest of world.”