Heathrow's Biggest Operators Limit Ticket Sales on Strike Days

DALLAS - London Heathrow's two biggest operators, British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic (VS), have limited the sale of tickets for inbound flights to the airport during the days of the Border Force strikes over Christmas and New year in an attempt to reduce disruption.

Both carriers issued similar statements to say that they were working with the government and airports to "minimise the impact" on their customers. The airlines have also allowed passengers to move their flights to a non-strike day.

Eight-Day Walkout

UK Border Force staff strikes will take place over eight days this month in a dispute over pay. The first walkout will occur on Friday, December 23 and continue until December 26. A second strike will run from December 28 to 31.

As well as London Heathrow (LHR), the strikes will affect Birmingham (BHX), Cardiff (CWL), Glasgow (GLA), Gatwick (LGW) and Manchester (MAN) airports. Around 1,000 Border Force members will take part in the strike.

"Robust Plans"

The UK government has said it has "robust plans" to minimise delays to inbound passengers. "Those intending to travel into the UK over strike days should keep up-to-date with the latest advice from operators to check how the proposed strike action will affect their journey," a spokesperson said. "Passengers should be prepared for disruption and take action to plan ahead."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for LHR said it was "working closely with airlines and Border Force on mitigation plans for potential strike action by Border Force officers and these plans will now be implemented for the notified days."

Featured Image: BA and VS have both limited ticket sale for inbound flights on strike days. Photo: Ervin Eslami/Airways.