What's more frustrating than having your flight canceled?
Having your flight canceled when it really isn't.
While dealing with a potential pilot strike, British Airways has been taking the pre-emptive move of canceling some future flights. But the carrier is facing criticism after sending emails to thousands of passengers, telling them their upcoming flights were canceled when in fact many of them were not. Customers were advised to re-book their flights or fill out the paperwork for a refund.
But the mistake was compounded when, several hours later, BA sent another email telling passengers their original flight had been reinstated, with the note saying "We are pleased to tell you that your flight will now be operating as originally planned."
The fiasco cost dozens of passengers hundreds of dollars to re-book their flights.
British Airways apologized and blamed it on an IT error.
A spokesperson for BA confirmed to Fox News that "some people received an email in error. … We are sorry that some customers received an email in error to say that their flight had been canceled on non-strike days. We emailed all those customers within a few hours to clarify that their flight will go ahead as planned."
In the meantime, the British Airline Pilots Association announced that British Airways pilots would go on strike on Sept. 9, 10, and 27 - potentially the first pilots' strike in the 100-year history of the carrier.
The heart of the strike is, of course, over wages. In a statement, the pilots' association said: "In these circumstances, with a 93% vote in favor of taking industrial action, and with no prospect of any further meaningful talks, we have no choice but to call this action."
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
