There is trouble brewing for passengers intending to travel through London Heathrow Terminal 5 during the hectic Easter period between March 31 – April 9, 2023.
Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 employees screening originating and transit passengers and their luggage are set to go on strike, also affecting cargo operations and likely catering.
Note that these strikes are often called off at the last minute if negotiations advance or parties can reach a deal.
British Airways, which uses Terminal 5, has not made any announcements yet, but they have zeroed out most, if not all, flights from March 31 – April 2, 2023. It is unclear if all Terminal 5 flights will go out as scheduled or if this is just a measurement to ensure some space is available if some rotations are canceled.
It is also unclear if BA can adequately cater all the flights because cargo operations are also affected.
Conclusion
It will be an utter mess if the strike at the Terminal 5 goes forward on Friday, and there have been no announcements by British Airways or Heathrow Airport.
Wouldn’t it be sound to advise passengers scheduled to travel through Terminal 5 during the strike period to make alternate plans in case their flights are canceled or there are operational meltdowns regarding screening passengers and their luggage?
If you are ticketed to travel utilizing Terminal 5 during the Easter period and if the strike goes forward, you should monitor your itinerary for any changes.
Based on my personal experiences, getting hold of anyone at BA will be nearly impossible if there are widespread irregular operations and nobody at the airport (this is ridiculous) can do ticketing.