British Airways is facing the threat of summer holiday disruption as its pilots begin balloting for strike action over a controversial new pay deal. The airline, which operates from Birmingham Airport, has proposed a package that includes bonuses for captains to carry less fuel, but pilots say the changes leave them worse off despite a 2.5% pay rise increasing to 4%.
Pilots reject 'kamikaze' proposal
The 79-page package also includes reduced pension contributions and a cut in the hourly Flying Pay Supplement. A senior pilot described it as a “kamikaze proposal for BA pilots,” adding that even the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) states, “This deal does produce uncertainty and risk for members more than any traditional pay award.”
BA's response
BA said it is “committed to making improvements to colleagues’ experience at work.” Balpa said “members will decide” if it supports the proposal. The ballot comes after a long-term pay deal agreed in principle in 2023 was expected to remove the threat of strikes until at least 2027.
Previous pay deal details
Under the three-and-a-half-year deal negotiated in 2023, BA pilots would have received a 4% pay rise backdated to June, followed by further uplifts: 1.5% in December, 2.5% in June 2024, 2% six months later, 0.5% in March 2025, 2.5% in June 2025, and another 2.5% in June 2026. Pilots would also receive a one-off payment of £1,000 in November 2023.
At the time, a BA spokesperson said: “We are pleased that we have now reached an agreement in principle for the pilot pay award 2023-27. Balpa will now ballot its members on the agreement in principle. The pay offer builds on a number of pay and reward changes made in 2022 to support colleagues throughout the business at a time of ongoing cost of living pressures.”
