Why have BA pilots gone on strike?

British Airways has cancelled most of its flights because of the first ever strike by its pilots.

-Who is on strike?

Members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which represents the majority of BA pilots.

-What is the dispute about?

Pay. Balpa says its members want more of a share of BA’s profits.

– How much have they been offered?

BA has offered a pay rise of 11.5% over three years, which has been accepted by unions representing other BA workers.

– How many flights have been cancelled because of the strike?

BA said more than 1,700 flights were being cancelled on Monday and Tuesday.

– How many passengers have been affected?

Around 195,000 people would have flown with BA over the two days.

– Has BA been receiving many calls from passengers?

BA says it has expanded its customer relations teams since the strike dates were announced last month, and has received 111,000 tweets and almost 400,000 calls a day.

– What alternative arrangements has BA been making?

Tens of thousands of people have had refunds or rebooked flights with BA or with other airlines.

– Are any more strikes planned?

Balpa has announced a 24-hour stoppage on September 27 if the dispute remains unresolved.

– How much do BA pilots earn?

BA says its pay offer will take some captains to more than £200,000 a year after three years. Balpa says £100,000 is a more typical basic wage.

– Are any talks planned between the two sides?

Not at the moment. Meetings have been held in recent weeks but they failed to break the deadlock.

– Are industrial relations at BA in a bad state?

There have been disputes over the years, but relations had been good until the pilots’ row flared.

– How much are the strikes costing BA?

Balpa says each day costs BA £40 million, claiming that settling the dispute would cost £5 million.