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By Mark Mitchell
Know Your Money Editor

Travellers could face an uncertain month ahead as British Airways (BA) staff have announced a further 20 days of strikes, adding to problems that many passengers have experienced in the past few months.

The airline announced its cabin crew is set to strike from May 18th to 22nd inclusive, May 24th to 28th, May 30th to June 3rd and June 5th to 9th.

Unite recently revealed 81 per cent of British Airways crew voted against the company's offer in relation to the current industrial dispute.

People who are expecting to travel during these times could be wise to know their rights if they are affected.

What can travellers expect?

BA says it expects all flights to and from Gatwick and London City airport to operate as normal throughout the strike periods and has suggested that it plans to operate most long-haul and short-haul services from Heathrow.

"BA plans to fly more than 70 percent of customers," the airline said in a statement published today (May 13th).

It added that during the Unite strike period of May 18th to 22nd it will fly more than 60,000 customers each day.

At present, passengers booked to travel from Gatwick or London City airports are being advised by the airline they can only cancel or rebook their flight if the terms of their ticket allow them to.

People who are booked to fly from Heathrow can rebook on another BA flight to the same destination within 355 days of their original date of travel at no extra cost (subject to availability).

However, in this case a refund can only be applied for if they have a flexible ticket.

If your flight is cancelled, under EU law BA must offer travellers either a full refund or a reroute. If the strike is cancelled, anyone who has rebooked is entitled to switch back to their original flight at no extra cost - provided seats are still available.

EU law also states that passengers would ordinarily be offered compensation of up to £600 if a flight is cancelled.

Despites this, the airline could avoid making payouts by arguing that the strike is "beyond its reasonable control".

Check your travel insurance policy

Any travel insurance purchased before the dates the strike was announced should operate as usual. A number of policies will pay out if you are delayed due to industrial action, but few will pay out if you now decide to cancel your trip - check the small print to see what cover you have.

What do BA say?

Richard Tams, director of sales and marketing at BA, said: "When we had the strike last time we transported 80 per cent of our passengers throughout that strike period. What we need to tell people is if they're in that 20 per cent [that we can't transport] or not as quickly as possible.

"What we need to do is publish a schedule for the first flight period, so people know exactly whether they are going to travel or not and if they're not going to travel, they can make other arrangements."

He added it intends to let customers know if their flights are cancelled as early as possible and if they are then they will be able to get a refund and make other plans.

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