---
title: "British Airways Reaches Tentative Deal With Pilots’ Union"
description: "British Airways reached a tentative labour agreement with unionised pilots, removing the threat of a walkout through 2027 as the flagship UK carrier cements a recovery from the Covid-19 era travel slowdown."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Business Maverick"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-10-05-british-airways-reaches-tentative-deal-with-pilots-union/"
published: "2023-10-05T17:12:49"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 230
---

# British Airways Reaches Tentative Deal With Pilots’ Union

> British Airways reached a tentative labour agreement with unionised pilots, removing the threat of a walkout through 2027 as the flagship UK carrier cements a recovery from the Covid-19 era travel slowdown.

By Bloomberg · Published 5 October 2023, 19:12 SAST

## Key points
- British Airways has made strides to rebuild trust with staff and customers, offering pilots an agreement in principle that builds on pay and working-condition changes made last year.
- British Airline Pilots’ Association to vote on pay and working condition changes
- IAG SA announced better-than-expected second-quarter earnings in July, citing BA’s performance
- Accord reached with 24,000 other staff for a 13.1% pay rise over 18 months
- Company rescinded pay cuts imposed during pandemic to head off strike

## Content

Members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association will now vote on whether to ratify the agreement in principle, which builds on pay and working-condition changes made last year, BA said in an emailed statement on Thursday.

The airline’s fortunes have improved since it imposed a pay cut on pilots during the Covid-19 pandemic. Parent company IAG SA announced better-than-expected second-quarter earnings in July, citing BA’s performance on North Atlantic routes from London Heathrow airport. Overall, IAG expects capacity to return to 97% of pre-Covid levels by year-end.

The deal with pilots follows an accord in August with 24,000 other staff for a 13.1% pay rise over an 18-month period. Airlines have been proactive in securing new pay deals with staff as they seek to avoid a return to last summer’s travel chaos, which saw companies scrambling to recruit enough staff to deal with the post-Covid travel boom.

The British airline came under fire for how it treated its staff during the pandemic, eventually rowing back on plans to [dismiss](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-06/british-airways-threatens-to-fire-all-pilots-in-latest-salvo) and rehire all of its 4,300 cockpit crew. Questioned in Parliament last year amid travel delays, Corporate Affairs Director Lisa Tremble said the company was working to rebuild trust with staff and customers.

The company headed off a pilots’ strike last October by [rescinding](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-18/british-airways-reaches-pay-deal-with-pilots-heading-off-strike) pay cuts imposed during the pandemic.

A union representative had no immediate comment on the tentative deal.