Alpha Flight Guru Travel Blog
11.28.2011

Strike to Hit Heathrow & Other UK Airports

Posted By Wilton0 Comments

Britain’s government can’t stop it from happening altogether, so they are taking proactive measures to warn travelers that Wednesday’s planned strike may bring Heathrow and other airports to a startling halt. The one-day walkout to be held on December 1 is expected to have more significant effects than even the 1979 strike, as 2 million hospital, airport, and academic employees are anticipated to leave their work stations.

In fact, the nation’s government has already reported thousands of appointment and surgical cancellations as roughly 400,000 medical staff alone are expected to walk off the job. However, civil service staff have been drafted to fill in for some less skilled positions, like immigrations officials, in hopes of counteracting some of the extensive damage that the strike may cause.

 

Nevertheless, those with original travel plans that run through Heathrow or any other UK airport may want to seriously reconsider. Airport operator BAA has warned that the immigration lines are likely to be so long that airlines will be forced to hold passengers on planes to keep from overcrowding the airports. While some hold out hope for an eleventh hour bargain between the labor unions and the government in regards to the row over pensions, national secretary of the GMB labor union, Brian Strutton, stated “Only a last minute breakthrough in negotiations can stop the strike, but that isn’t going to happen if we are not even meeting.”