Planning on Visiting LHR Next Week?
 

Indeed, the key is in the opening paragraph of the link LondonPax gives:
(PS looks like PPruNe's clock is on strike - as I posted at 17:58 GMT)

PS: Gatwick has ALSO asked for carriers to reduce flights.

Planning on Visiting LHR Next Week?
 

Then good luck. It's going to be even more awful than usual.

There's a quote in that article that's worth study...
It is bad enough that these public sector workers are striking to force the Government to sustain their unsustainably generous pension payments from the taxes paid by the rest of the country, whose pensions are non-existent or almost valueless because of the financial crisis of which the public sector workers appear to be blissfully unaware.

But that sort of comment from a union leader, starting with fake expressions of regret, moving on to the demonstrable lie that they really do not want to cause disruption, and ending with a naked threat that if they do not get their way there will be more, is enough to make me want to find a striker and beat him or her to death next week.

Why the hell should people in the private sector, including those living on a State pension only, pay to subsidise the grossly over-generous pension of a workshy parasite in the public sector?

Let the b******s have their generous final salary schemes by all means, provided that they, and no one else, pay for it. These schemes started disappearing in the private sector in the 1980's, when it became clear that they were unsustainable. And it is the public sector unions who have bullied successive Governments ever since into sweeping the fact that they are unaffordable under the carpet.

So spare me the crocodile tears, Lucy, as well as your fatuous comments.

All I hope is that when your members are taking a day off next week, the lack of "public sympathy" will manifest itself in some quite violent confrontations by parents having to look after their kids for the day, probably with loss of pay, by air passengers who are disrupted with devastating consequences, and by the rest of us who have just had enough of civil servants and council staff taking the p**s.

Especially I hope that passengers will simply not accept being corralled at airports for hours and will simply force their way through the barriers in a mass uprising.

How are airlines going to reduce the number of passengers they fly in without bumping people who have already booked?

Of course, what she over-looks is the blindingly obvious fact that a large percentage of those trying to come into the UK are visitors, and therefore will in future fly to Europe via another entry point, thus reducing the need for immigration staff at UK airports.
Foot and 'shooting' spring to mind.
PS - I haven't even started on pensions!!!!

Probably not a good idea; I have heard rumours of the Army being deployed to assist with this kind of situation. :eek:

Well they are asking people to rebook. Of course if they do start bumping - the expectation will be that people will get compensation as per Regulation 261. (which does have an opt-out due to 'strikes')

If an airline cancels a flight on this day - this should not be counted against it in the 'use-it, or lose-it slot rule.

It is easy to understand why the union is taking action. They are working on the experience gained across the last 40+ years. Unfortunately, across the same timescale, all the govts of the West have been allowing financial markets to rule the roost (for reasons that do not matter, it is a fact that they did) those actions have made the erosion of pensions an inevitable fact of the next 25 years.

The govt might want to do something and many might be sympathetic to the cause as they are in the same boat. But the country is bankrupt and the pensions cannot be got back. The same thing is happening across the West and just because we are in a slightly better situation than Greece, does not mean that we can get back to 'normal'. For that normal has gone and the new one is not yet clear - and will not be so for at least 20 years.

I'm sure that Ms Morton and her colleagues are sincere but the time for the Union to take action was 15 years ago to prevent things like the repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act in 1999 (repeal was the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, proposed by three Republicans and signed by a Democrat President. But, even in '99, it was already way too late.

30/11/11 UK Airport Disruption (The Strike Thread)
 

Yahoo News

Heathrow warns of major delays

A massive backlog of arriving passengers is anticipated at Heathrow this week as the UK prepares for what could be the biggest union action for more than 30 years.
The UK Border Agency is among groups of the British public sector that will strike on November 30.
Two million workers are expected to stage a 24-hour walkout in protest of chances to their pensions.
Heathrow operator BAA has told airlines to expect immigration queues so long that passengers may have to be held on planes after landing, the Associated Press reports.
Heathrow chief operating officer says this could create a "gridlock" with "mass cancellations of departing aircraft and diversions outside the UK for arriving aircraft".
Airlines have been asked to reduce the number of passengers they bring in on Wednesday.
Air New Zealand has only one flight due to arrive in London on the day of the strike; Passengers booked on flight NZ2 from Auckland to London via LA have the option of changing to a different flight for no fee.
The flight will still go ahead but the airline is in the process of calling passengers to outline their options.
A statement on Emirates' website says all flights to and from the UK on Wednesday "may be disrupted or forced to be cancelled".
It is asking its passengers to consider travelling on a different date.
Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Singapore Airlines are also urging their passengers to change flight dates unless they absolutely need to travel on that date.

I'm not. Ms Morton and her colleagues are extremely highly paid executives, with 6-figure salaries, grotesquely generous pensions, etc etc, all from members subscriptions. They are up there with bankers in terms of sheer greed.

They run unions whose raison d'etre is conflict between a workforce and their employer(s). No conflict; no union.

So it follows, as night follows day, that in order to preserve their huge salaries, especially their enormous pensions, union leaders must create and promote conflict so as to maintain a grateful membership to pay for it all, in some cases without the option to refuse. So they do just that.

I understand. The fact is that people will always feather their nests at others' expense, given the opportunity. Think MPs' allowances, bankers' bonuses; it's a long list.

It's the nauseating bull**** that Ms Moreton and her kind come out with that makes me puke.

UK Strike 30 Nov '11, Gatwick arrivals
 

UK Strike 30 Nov '11, Gatwick arrivals

OK I know I'm asking a lot!!! :confused:

Any predictions on strike effect for early (0530Z) arrivals?

When does the strike officially start - 0001Z/30 or at a shift change & if shift change what time will that be?

Thanks in advance :ok:

From the BA Intranet ...

Despite the media reports we have been advised that sufficient resource will be available to minimise queuing at both LHR and LGW. As a result the stand plan is expected to be robust.

It will be interesting to see if this pans out

Speaking without inside knowledge but experience of UK strikes across the last 35 years ... No One Knows!

The coincidence of timing will be far greater than any planning.

• If a full wide body arrives late and becomes the first to affected
• If the first a/c of the strike period is almost empty?
• How many will strike?
• How difficult will the pax be?
• What problems will the pax present - will there be lots of asylum seekers?
• How many airport and airline staff will turn out to help?

No One Knows!

Pzu, I would expect a 0530 arrival to be fairly safe!

From the Border Agency website:-

Advice for customers

The 4 Home Office unions are participating in a strike which will affect border control from the beginning of the evening of Tuesday 29 November until 23:59 on Wednesday 30 November. Starting times will vary as each port has different shift patterns.

We will aim to keep disruption at a minimum, but our priority remains the security of the border and we could see longer waiting times at some ports and airports. We have put contingency plans in place and will work hard to keep delays to a minimum.

You may wish to check with your carrier if you are travelling on Wednesday 30 November.

Passengers arriving in the UK can assist us by:

having travel documents, including passports, available and taken out of any wallets;
using automatic e-passport gates (where available);
having landing cards fully completed and ready; and
staying in family groups.

This is a letter published in The Independent on Wednesday 29th Nove.

I was listening to local radio earlier this morning and a business passenger on the Singapore flight that arrived circa 5am said that he was sitting in his car 25mins after landing! With service like that you could be forgiven for not supporting the strikers :p The main 'crush' is forecast to be around midday, perhaps due to the morning rush merging with the afternoon flights ? Good luck to any intrepid travellers today.


SHJ

WHAT STRIKE
 

Wife off VS32 and on train by 0630

Damn - I';; have to get the Hoover out

PZU - Out of Africa (Retired) and thankfully with a Final Salary pension

Gatwick 0900 30/11/11
 

Can anyone please give the situation at Gatwick right now?

Relative arriving on BA2166.

Gatwick is fine right now! Wouldn't know there was a strike on! Both terminals running normally or better at 1000 hrs.

Many thanks OOT, that's excellent news! :ok: