British Airways pilots ground planes in unprecedented 48-hour strike

LONDON - British Airways pilots began a 48-hour strike on Monday, grounding most of the airline's flights and disrupting thousands of travelers' plans in unprecedented industrial action over a pay dispute.

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) last month gave the airline notice of 3 days of industrial action in September, in what is the first ever strike by BA pilots.

Following the strikes on Sept. 9 and 10, another day of industrial action is scheduled for Sept. 27.

BALPA has said that British Airways (BA) should share more of its profits with its pilots. BA has said the strike action is unjustifiable as its pay offer was fair.

Thousands of customers have had to seek alternative travel arrangements, and the airline has come in for criticism over how it handled communications with passengers ahead of the strikes.

"This strike will have cost the company considerably more than the investment needed to settle this dispute," BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said in a statement on the eve of the strike.

"It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute."

Last Thursday, the airline dismissed a new offer by BALPA as an "eleventh hour inflated proposal" that was not made in good faith. BALPA had said it would have called off the strikes this week if BA had engaged with the offer.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged both sides to end the dispute.

Asked about the strike action, a spokeswoman for British Airways said: "We remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA."

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is investigating the airline after it enraged some travelers by wrongly telling them their flights had been cancelled.

The regulator also reminded the airline to proactively tell customers of their rights. During the strikes, BA must offer the passengers reimbursement for cancelled flights, alternate travel arrangements under comparable conditions or a new flight at a later date. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

British Airways hacked with details of 380,000 bank cards stolen

LONDON - British Airways said that the personal and financial details of customers making bookings between August 21 and September 5 had been stolen in a data breach involving 380,000 bank cards.

The almost two week long hack did not involve travel or passport 

details, the airline said, adding that it had launched an urgent investigation into the theft of customer data.

"The personal and financial details of customers making bookings on our website and app were compromised," it said. "The breach has been resolved and our website is working normally. We have notified the police and relevant authorities."

BA said the breach took place between 2158 GMT on August 21 and 2045 GMT on September 5 and that around 380,000 payment cards were compromised.

BA advised anyone who believed they may have been affected to contact their bank or credit card provider and follow their recommendations.

In terms of compensation, BA said they would be in touch with customers "and will manage any claims on an individual basis."

"We are deeply sorry for the disruption that this criminal activity has caused," the airline said.

It said customers due to travel could check in online as normal as the incident had been resolved.

BA customer Daniel Willis, 34, who booked a flight on Monday with the airline, said he had not been contacted by the airline despite being affected by the data breach.

"I've not heard anything from them on this and I've just had to cancel the card I used. They're a shambles," he told the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Another BA customer, Stephanie Jowers, said she contacted the airline hours before the hack was announced to query a suspicious charge on her account but was not informed it could have been compromised.

"I asked repeatedly for an explanation. None was given," she told the Daily Telegraph.

PAST ISSUES

The National Crime Agency said: "We are aware of reports of a data breach affecting British Airways and are working with partners to assess the best course of action."

The NCA is set up to tackle the most serious and organized crime posing the highest risk to public security in Britain.

BA apologized in July after technology issues caused dozens of its flights to and from London Heathrow Airport to be canceled.

The airline said the problem was down to an incident with an IT system.

And in May 2017, British Airways suffered a major computer system failure triggered by a power supply issue near Heathrow which left 75,000 customers stranded.

IAG, which owns British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia, said last month that first-half profits more than doubled.

Earnings after taxation flew to 1.4 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in the first 6 months of 2018 compared with 607 million euros a year earlier, IAG said in a results statement.

The London-listed group, which is also the owner of Irish airline Aer Lingus and Spanish carrier Vueling, added that total revenues swelled 3 percent to 11.2 billion euros.

BA announced last month that it will halt flights to Tehran in September, citing low profitability as the US reimposes sanctions on Iran.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

British Airways plane catches fire in Las Vegas, two minor injuries

A British Airways plane caught fire at an airport in Las Vegas after an aborted takeoff on Tuesday, but the flames were extinguished and just two people among the 159 passengers and 13 crew onboard suffered minor injuries, McCarran International Airport said on Twitter.

Video and photographs from the scene showed flight 2276, a Boeing Co 777 bound for London Gatwick, engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Emergency slides were deployed from the aircraft.

According to preliminary information, the plane experienced a left engine fire on takeoff, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's Pacific Division.

McCarran International said the fire had been put out, and published a photo of the plane with its charred fuselage. It said flight operations continue on its three other runways, and that two people were transported with minor injuries.

A spokeswoman for British Airways, which is owned by IAG , said safety is always the airline's priority and the airline is looking after customers.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com