Britain: Planned strike by passport workers expected to delay travelers

If you are heading to Britain this week, be patient. Travelers entering the country are being warned to expect delays Wednesday night and Thursday at airports, international train stations and ports because of a planned 24-hour strike by passport control workers, according to a UK Border Agency statement.

The statement said the start of the strike and its impact will vary by location. Here’s the 411:

-- Gatwick and Heathrow airports in London said in Twitter updates that only arriving passengers may be affected; those departing the country don’t go through passport control. (For information on Heathrow, click here.)

-- United Airlines is warning passengers that flights may be delayed in or out of British airports. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (click here for information on BA and here for Virgin) have alerted passengers about potential delays at immigration stops.

-- Eurostar, which runs high-speed trains through the Chunnel, said it doesn’t expect schedules to be affected by the strike and that it has added two additional trains between London and Paris for Thursday.

The action by border control agents is part of a larger strike planned for Thursday, when teachers are expected to walk off the job. This Reuters story explains that civil servants already facing pay freezes are protesting pension reforms put forth by the government.