Pilots win holiday pay case

In what has been hailed by a pilots’ union as a landmark case, the European Court has ruled that British Airways should base holiday pay on overall earnings, not just basic pay.

The case will now go back to the UK Supreme Court for a final ruling, but union BALPA said the decision was likely to be the same.

Jim McAuslan, General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA), said:

"This is a major victory for all pilots in the UK, not just the 3,000 British Airways pilots who had their claims heard by the European Court of Justice. 

“The calculation of holiday pay was a clear example of pilots being short-changed by their employers. We always believed that under European working time rules introduced in 2004 pilots should be treated like other working people in the UK and should receive their proper pay during holidays. This should not be restricted to basic salary but should include allowances. 

“British Airways and other UK airlines opposed us but, after a six-year legal battle, the European Court of Justice finally agreed with us.”

Based on this BA judgment, BALPA will be seeking to agree similar holiday pay arrangements for pilots in other UK airlines.