Thomas Cook pilots to strike over pay dispute

At least 40 flights likely to be disrupted

Thomas Cook said it had no plans to cancel flights because of the strike (Getty Images)

Thomas Cook pilots are to go on strike on Saturday (23 September) in a dispute over pay.

The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balsa) said five days of talks had failed to reach an agreement and the industrial action will now go ahead.

The strike will begin at 00:01 on Saturday and last for 24 hours. Around 40 flights are likely to be disrupted but none are scheduled to be cancelled.

The airline has offered pilots a 1.5 per cent pay rise but Balpa is pushing for a rise that is in line with inflation, which is currently at 2.9 per cent. The union is also demanding better travel conditions for staff.

Thomas Cook pilots staged a 12-hour walkout earlier this month and further strikes are planned for 29 September and 6 October.

A Thomas Cook Airlines spokesperson said: “Our priority is to make sure all of our customers can still fly on holiday and back home with us and we are pleased to confirm that all of our flights scheduled on 23 September will operate.

“In order to make sure that everyone can still travel with us during the strike period, we have made changes to the departure times of some of our flights on 23 September.

“We have tried to keep disruption to a minimum and apologise if these changes affect your plans or cause you inconvenience on that day.”