Name withheld
All the big airlines plan to operate normal schedules, despite the proposed strike by UK Border Agency staff. The big unknown is the impact on you and half a million other people flying to and from the UK that day.
There are no routine border controls on outbound passengers but if queues build from inbound flights, all travellers may be affected. Stansted and Gatwick are less susceptible to problems than Heathrow.
My guess is that passengers in flights from Stansted between 6am and 8am will get away without problems. It's when those planes come back from Europe that congestion could begin. If queues start backing up at Passport Control, airlines could be told to keep passengers on newly arrived flights on board rather than let them join the queues and risk overcrowding. So the passengers hoping to depart on those aircraft are delayed.
Knowing how low-cost airlines typically respond to such disruption, there may be cancellations. If your flight is axed, you don't automatically go to the front of the queue when services resume - you go to the back.
The only "insurance policy" I can suggest is booking, before Wednesday, a new flight on Thursday, but the fare is likely to be steep.
Email your travel queries to simon.calder@standard.co.uk
