Workers for the Unite union have called off their planned strike for Monday, August 5, at London’s Heathrow Airport.
The union includes workers from security staff, firefighters, engineers and other passenger service operators. The dispute, over a pay increase, could have created chaos at one of the world’s busiest airports.
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Talks with the union continued on Sunday and the two sides will meet again Monday in the hopes of avoiding a planned walkout on Tuesday, August 6.
As it stands, Heathrow had already canceled 177 flights scheduled for late Sunday night and Monday, and they will remain canceled according to the British Broadcasting Corp. Airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American and more have contacted passengers about the cancellations.
“While the vast majority of flights will be unaffected, some airlines are making arrangements to operate flights from other UK airports; others will be delaying flights; and unfortunately a number will be canceled,” a spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said. “We recommend passengers check their flight status before traveling to the airport and read the guidance on Heathrow.com to prepare for their journey.”
Airlines are also expected to impose restrictions on carry-on bags to speed up the boarding process during the possible strikes as a precaution against longer lines at security. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have already restricted passengers to one small carry-on that can fit under the seat in front of them.
Etihad, Scandanavian, Flybe, British Airways, Air Canada, Swiss, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Aer Lingus, and TAP Air Portugal are among those to have confirmed cancellations.
