Major Changes Announced to Upcoming Heathrow Airport Strikes

Heathrow Airport security workers have called off the first in a series of scheduled strikes, but air travelers heading to London this summer still face the possibility of disruption at the airport.

According to BBC, more than 2,000 staff members at England’s busiest airport have decided not to strike on June 24-25 after receiving an improved wage proposal.

The union representing the workers said that the first two days of strikes were canceled as a goodwill gesture after extensive talks between airport management and workers.

Most notably for travelers though, the union also announced that if its members reject the new proposal, the rest of the scheduled strikes will go ahead as planned. The union members will vote between June 13 and June 23.

If the strikes were to go ahead, the remaining 29 scheduled strike dates are:

June 28-30
July 14-16
July 21-24
July 28-31
August 4-7
August 11-14
August 18-20
August 24-27
The strike dates are meant to coincide with the busy summer travel season, the Eid religious festival (June 28-30) and summer vacation for U.K. schools, which typically start mid-July and last through the end of August.

According to the report, if the strikes occur, they will exclusively affect Terminals 3 and 5, which are the terminals used by American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, among others.

The strikes could lead to longer lines at security, but the airport said it does not anticipate any flight cancelations as a result of the potential work stoppages.

A Heathrow spokesperson told the BBC: “We encourage them to accept the deal so that everyone can have certainty and the backdated pay increase that so many have been waiting for.”

Anyone headed to London this summer will be hoping for a timely end to the dispute as well.