At midnight, British Airways pilots went on strike for the first time in the company's history. Up to 300,000 passengers are expected to be affected by the strike.

“For the first time I have now thought about the idea – never again British Airways,” Duncan Lyon tells the BBC. He has had to pay the equivalent of 6,000 kronor to find an alternative travel solution home from his holiday trip.

The strike, which will initially take place on Monday and Tuesday and in which most of the company's approximately 4,300 pilots are participating, is sparking discussion here in the UK. Pilots at British Airways earn an average of over one million kronor a year, while pilots with a captain's rank earn around double that.

But the pilots have been demanding a larger share of the company's large annual profits for some time now. The pilots believe that the company's offer of an 11.5 percent pay increase over a 3-year period is too low.

The company management has said no and, among other things, has threatened to remove the discount system for travel with British Airways, which is very advantageous for pilots and their families, as a countermeasure.

Most of the departures affected have been canceled for some time; according to Swedavia, the strike affects around fifteen departures to and from Sweden.

Source: sverigesradio.se