Customer Protection

During the Christmas holidays a planned strike by British Airways cabin crew was quashed by the courts over a question of the legality of the strike ballot. With Easter approaching, however, the unions have voted again and this time the strike is deemed to be fully legal.

The airline itself is promising that it will do all it can to minimise the disruption to passengers, though at present it is unable to say just how many people will turn up for work on the first day of the strike. Many people around the UK will be wondering right now what is to become of their Easter holiday, and of the money they spent on it.

Depending on which airport you are flying from you will face different issues. London City Airport is scheduled to operate as normal, and Gatwick''s long haul flights should be fine, though some short haul flights will be cancelled. The main problems look set to be at the UK''s largest and busiest airport, Heathrow, with a mixture of long and short haul flights likely to be disrupted.

If you''re booked to fly with BA during the period of the strike you can claim a full refund if you cancel your ticket. An alternative option offered by BA''s management is that passengers can transfer their ticket to another flight to the same destination at no extra cost.

These sorts of options will do nothing for people who have package holidays booked, and customers are unlikely to get any extra compensation because the cancellation is deemed to be for reasons outside of the airline''s control. That means if you''ve already sorted out details like car hire or transfers and even hotels then you''re unlikely to get any money back.

There is some hope for people who have booked package holidays as in the event of disruption to your flight the travel agent or the operator will have a responsibility to provide all the elements of the package that you paid for. This may mean rerouting through different airlines, or finding other seats on flights on different days or at different times.

Some media outlets have suggested that the ATOL protection scheme could be brought into play to help people who are affected by the disruption to services. This is inaccurate, unfortunately, as ATOL only operates when tour operators have gone out of business and that is not yet the case for BA.

If you haven''t got a package holiday booked you may not be able to get any of your costs back, though you could try to get some recompense through your travel insurance. The best advice is to try and get in touch with your tour operator or with BA as soon as possible and, if you can, make alternative plans.

Article Source: http://www.casinoarticlessite.com

Sal Greet is an expert travel writer who regularly books online through Thomas Cook, the leading travel company that provide also holiday extras like car hire.

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