British Airways was forced to cancel almost all of their flights after their pilots went on strike. The planned two-day strike has left passengers stranded and struggling to find flights on other airlines. British Airways told passengers that if their flight is canceled, they should not even bother going to the airport. The strike stems from a multi-year dispute over pay, benefits, and an ever-increasing workload for pilots.
The pilots say they were promised higher pay when the airline began turning a profit, but instead, they saw their pay and pension benefits reduced, plus they were expected to log more hours in the cockpit.
"So the reason for the dispute is that we feel the potentially below-inflation pay offer, as the company makes record profits, does not respect our previous loyalty and 'investment' in BA's success," an anonymous pilot who works for the airline wrote in the Guardian.
The strike is expected to impact 280,000 passengers and will cost the airline around $100 million in lost revenue.
"We understand the frustration and disruption [British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA)] strike action has caused our customers. After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this," the airline wrote in a statement to Fox News. "We remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA."
According to CNN, news of the strike sent ticket prices soaring by over 2,200 percent. Passengers who were lucky enough to find an open seat on a different airline were looking at fares selling for well over one thousand dollars. Those flights normally just just a few hundred dollars.
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