Furious holidaymakers have been left in limbo as Heathrow refuses to reveal how many flights are being cancelled due to tomorrow’s strike.
Airport bosses are still in last ditch talks with union officials in a bid to get tomorrow’s walk out called off.
But passengers have been left in the dark over flight cancellations for the second day running, with many desperate to know if their planes will take off tomorrow – or even which airport to go to.
Three per cent of today’s flights have been blighted by the strike chaos, with 16 planes grounded and five moved to London Gatwick.
Abz Hussain, of London, was due to fly from Heathrow to Saudi Arabia for Hajj on Tuesday, but said his flight has been switched to Manchester.
Monday’s walkout was cancelled at the eleventh hour last night, but strike action is still planned at Heathrow (terminal pictured today) for tomorrow
The 34-year-old, who has paid more than £6,500 for his trip, said he has struggled to obtain information about what is happening from either Heathrow or the carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines.
‘They can’t give an honest answer to simple questions,’ he said.
‘Nobody has bothered to call us. We’ve been left in limbo. I have to pay money to go from London to Manchester.’
Kate Mortlock wrote on Twitter: ‘Family holiday booked for tomorrow to Dubai…. when will we know if the flight will be disruption? Travelling with children! #Heathrowstrikes #familyholiday #frustration #wewantogetaway’.
Hayden Wood wrote: ‘I have a flight to Budapest tomorrow at Heathrow at 8.45am for a festival.
‘When can I expect to receive more information as to whether the flight will be cancelled or delayed.’
Passengers expressed their frustration and tried to get updates from the airport and airlines on Twitter
Someone else posted: ‘Hello any news about tomorrow strike? I am travelling with two small kids & my wife.
‘For now the airline is saying flight is confirmed. I am worried about staying hours blocked at the airport with my small kids.’
Other families have been forced to pay for hotel accommodation as they waited overnight to find out if their flights would leave today.
Originally Heathrow said 177 flights would be cancelled today, but when today’s industrial action was called off at the eleventh hour, flyers were still unsure if they would be travelling.
Holiday ruined: Scott Kinchlea and his girlfriend Chloe Donovan have had to pay £700 extra on top of their £850 Vienna holiday
They waited anxiously as airport bosses refused to reveal which cancelled flights had been reinstated.
Flights in and out of Heathrow tomorrow are at risk of being hit by the strike chaos.
Claire Leighton and her family were supposed to travel from Newcastle to Heathrow for their flight to Miami today.
But British Airways called them on Saturday to say the flight to Heathrow had been changed to Sunday, forcing them to stay overnight at a hotel, the costs of which they are attempting to claim back.
Mrs Leighton said: ‘We were meant to fly from Newcastle this morning but BA rang us on Saturday to say that the flight was changed to last night.
‘We were pleased that we made it here and didn’t miss our flight to Miami because that would have been much more expensive.
‘But it did mean we had to stay overnight at Heathrow and get a hotel which BA said they would not pay for.
‘We have asked today if we can claim back the hotel cost of £170 but so far we have not got anywhere.’
Kylie Dale from New Zealand had enjoyed a holiday in England and was looking forward to her family trip to Vienna but was left ‘on edge’ by news of the strikes.
She said: ‘We checked our flights immediately after seeing the strike disruption.
The couple, of Chelmsford, Essex, had to pay for a taxi to Stansted, new flights and replacement accommodation, which cost an extra £700
‘We were really worried because we don’t live here we couldn’t just go home and wait.
‘The airport and queues do not seem chaotic at the moment but I am still on edge that we might be affected by it.
‘We definitely got here earlier than we usually would because I have a young family and any disruption would be difficult for us.’
Scott Kinchlea and his girlfriend Chloe Donovan were forced to spend another £700 on their £850 holiday to Vienna after they were told their flight was cancelled and re-instated in the space of a few hours.
The 18-year-olds were looking forward to their first holiday together and paid for British Airways flights because ‘they thought it would be more reliable’.
They were due to fly from Heathrow yesterday evening but received a text from the airline at 3pm to say their plane wasn’t taking off.
After being told there were no other flights, they were advised to re-book from another airport.
The couple, of Chelmsford, Essex, had to pay for a taxi to Stansted, new flights and replacement accommodation, which cost an extra £700.
As they landed in Vienna, they received another text to say their original flight was still running – with less than three hours to go.
Passengers are being urged to check with their airline for updates.
Members of the Unite union were due to walk out from one minute past midnight on Monday for 48 hours.
Thirty-seven flights have been cancelled at Heathrow today
The two sides met throughout the weekend under the chairmanship of the conciliation service Acas, and further talks are still ongoing today.
Unite said talks would involve senior directors from Heathrow and senior officials from the union ‘with the aim of averting a second day of planned strike action’.
The union’s members, including security staff, firefighters and engineers have voted against a pay offer Heathrow said was worth 7.3 per cent over two-and-a-half years.
Heathrow said in a statement: ‘Strike action on Tuesday August 6 is still scheduled to go ahead.
‘We are continuing talks with Unite today and we remain hopeful that we can find a resolution and stop this disruptive and unnecessary threat of strike action.
‘We regret that passengers have been inconvenienced by this and urge them to contact their airline for up to date information on the status of their service.’
Airlines must offer free refreshments and access to make phone calls or send emails when flights are delayed for at least two hours on short haul routes, or four hours on long haul trips.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said passengers whose flights are cancelled must be rebooked onto an alternative flight or offered a refund.
The regulator added that passengers are not automatically entitled to additional compensation as industrial action carried out by airport workers is considered to be outside the control of airlines.
Naomi Leach, a consumer expert at Which? Travel, said it doesn’t look good for holidaymakers for the rest of the summer.
She said: ‘Sadly the disruption this August is set to continue.
‘All passengers affected by these cancellations are entitled to a full refund or to be rerouted on to another flight to their intended destination.
‘Holidaymakers should contact their airline before travelling and allow extra time at the airport in case of delays.’
