Heathrow Airport in London has asked airlines to cease ticket sales for inbound flights over Christmas in order to minimize disruption during immigration workers’ walkouts. Heathrow said in a statement Friday that the plan was developed with the collaboration of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., both of which are based at the hub and intend to comply.
Border Force has previously written to airports, requesting them to reduce demand for arrivals during the protests to no more than 80% of 2019 levels, according to Heathrow. It stated that the decision to cease sales is not being implemented unilaterally, having been agreed upon with BA and Virgin, and that it remains a request for other operators.
Officials from the PCS union are scheduled to strike over pay at Heathrow and other major UK hubs from December 23 to December 31, disrupting the first Christmas travel surge since Covid restrictions were eased. Heathrow said that while there will most certainly be lineups for passengers who do not qualified for electronic entry gates, there will be no serious inconvenience.
Workers in industries ranging from the health service to the train network to Royal Mail mail deliveries have staged walkouts in order to demand pay increases in line with growing expenses. Allowing large raises, according to the administration, risks entrench inflation and exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis.
Customers who have already booked flights will be able to travel as planned, while those who desire to reschedule their trip dates should be able to do so. The UK Home Office, which is in charge of Border Force, did not immediately respond to Heathrow’s claim that it requested the passenger cap.