British Airways has announced three dates in September when pilots they will strike over a pay dispute, throwing travellers’ plans into disarray.

The dates are September 9, 10 and 27, when there will be a large number of delays and cancellations. The pilots, members of BALPA, the British Airline Pilots Association, voted overwhelmingly for strike action after rejecting a pay offer of 11.5 percent over three years.

However, it emerged on Saturday, August 24, that some passengers had been incorrectly informed overnight by email that their flights had been cancelled. Many passengers had already rebooked on other airlines on their own initiative.

Meanwhile a BA spokesman said: “We will do everything we can to get as many people away on their journeys as possible. However, it is likely that many of our customers will not be able to travel and we will be offering refunds and rebookings for passengers on cancelled flights.”

Alex Cruz, BA’s chief executive, claimed that the pay deal would have given BA captains an annual salary of over £200,000, in what he called an “incredible, inflation-busting deal.”

BA operates up to 12 flights each day from Nice Airport to UK airports.