British Airways check-in staff strikes scrapped as airline makes ‘vastly improved’ pay offer
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
According to a statement on the Unite union website, the industrial dispute between British Airways and its check-in staff at Heathrow has been suspended.
The airline has made a “vastly improved” pay offer to staff.
Whilst the offer will be put to a ballot of union members, the union is recommending acceptance. Planned strike action has been suspended.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
“We welcome that BA has finally listened to the voice of its check-in staff. Unite has repeatedly warned that pay disputes at BA were inevitable unless the company took our members’ legitimate grievances seriously. I pay tribute to, and stand with, our members who have fought hard to protect their pay.”
Unite regional officer Russ Ball said:
“I want to salute the solidarity and bravery of our members, who, through acting in unity, have ensured that a vastly improved offer has been made. I am proud to be associated with our check-in members at British Airways.”
A BA spokesperson said:
“We are very pleased that, following collaboration with the unions, they have decided not to issue dates for industrial action. This is great news for our customers and our people.”
The strike had been caused by the refusal of the airline to reverse a 10% pay cut which check-in staff had accepted during the pandemic in order to help control cash burn. British Airways management who agreed a similar cut had seen it reversed but this privilege was not extended to rank-and-file workers.
It is not clear if this deal will see the full 10% pay cut reversed (staff will still not have received a pay rise this year, of course) and over what time frame this may happen.
PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 70,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (July 2025)
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.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card
30,000 Avios and the famous annual Companion Voucher voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express Credit Card
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 on the FREE standard card and 1 Avios per £1 on the Pro card. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 0.8 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business Card
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
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.

The American Express Business Platinum Card
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
Comments (19)