VSbulletin - UK Border Force Industrial Action - 15 December 2022
- 15 December 2022
- News
- Virgin Atlantic
As you may be aware, UK Border Force staff in The Public and Commercial Services Union are staging industrial action between 23-26 and 28-31 December, which includes strikes at London Heathrow and Manchester airports. Our partners at Virgin Atlantic continue to work closely with UK Government and airport partners at London Heathrow and Manchester to support contingency planning and minimise the impact of Border Force strikes on our customers’ journeys.
Virgin Atlantic’s priority is getting our customers to where they need to be this festive season, ensuring they’re aware of the strikes in advance and prepared for longer waits at border control. Schedules will be operated as planned, with additional flexibility to allow customers to change their flight dates if they wish to avoid arriving on strike days.
Virgin Atlantic are offering customers booked to travel to London Heathrow or Manchester between 23 & 26 December or 28 & 31 December 2022, options to rebook to an earlier or later date. The full policy can be found here.
As ever at this busy time of year, we recommend customers check here regularly for updates and here for specific flight status. The Virgin Atlantic teams, on the ground and in the skies, will be doing all they can to support our customers’ travel plans.
Please be aware that customers arriving on strike days may experience longer wait times at the UK border at London Heathrow and Manchester airports. All customers with an eligible biometric passport are encouraged to use electronic gates. Eligibility details for use of eGates can be found here.
At this time, Virgin Atlantic plan to operate our schedule as planned but if we need to make any changes we will be in touch with customers directly.
Please ensure the latest traveller contact information is available within the booking, so the latest instructions reach the traveller via SMS and email.
Further passenger advice regarding travel over Christmas and during Border Force strikes can be found on the UK Government and ABTA websites.