The result of the British Airways pilots vote on industrial action is not looking good

A quick extra article today to share this bit of news.

There is currently a wave of industrial unrest brewing at British Airways.  This is being driven by the strong financial performance of the business, which is not being reflected in pay or bonuses.

A number of votes are underway across the various unions involved.  BALPA, the British Airline Pilots Association, has just released the results of its ballot and it is not pretty:

Question 1:

Do you accept BA’s revised pay offer?

Yes – 1%

No – 99%

Question 2:

If we cannot secure an acceptable offer through negotation, do you wish BALPA to conduct an official ballot for industrial action, including strike action?

Yes – 96%

No – 4%

Turnout was 89% which is very high as these things go.

According to the last set of figures I could find, BALPA represents about 90% of BA pilots so any industrial action will effectively ground the airline.

British Airways put out this statement in response:

We continue open discussions with our trade unions. Our pay proposal is fair, reasonable and reflects typical pay awards given by other companies in the UK.

---

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2023)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Successfully apply for either of the Barclaycard Avios credit cards by 2nd April 2023 and you will be entered into a free draw to win ONE MILLION AVIOS! Full details are on the application forms here (free) and here (paid). This competition is exclusive to Head for Points readers. T&C apply.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Until 30th March 2023, the sign up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to 120,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. The bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to 60,000 Membership Rewards points – click here. T&C apply, see the application forms for details.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.