British Airways Pilots' Union Agrees on Pay Deal

DALLAS - British Airways (BA) has avoided strike action by its pilots after the airline reached an agreement outlining a new pay deal with the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA).

The agreement includes a 4% pay rise for this year and additional pay increases for pilots who have returned to the airline after being made redundant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salary Sacrifice

BA flight crews had previously agreed to sacrifice a portion of their salaries to mitigate job losses during the pandemic in a pay deal agreed upon in July 2020. This saw temporary pay cuts of 20%, reduced to 8% over the next two years, allowing the airline to minimize job cuts from 1,255 to 270.

In July, the airline entered talks after BALPA wrote to management, demanding they abandon the salary sacrifice scheme.

In a statement, the London Heathrow (LHR)-based carrier said, “We are pleased to have agreed on a pay proposal in principle with BALPA, which will now be put to members with a recommendation from the union.”

Featured Image: BA's latest airframes, the Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A350-1000 are joined by its most iconic, Concorde at LHR. Photo: Ervin Eslami/Airways