Football fans travelling to Qatar for the World Cup could face chaos and disruption to their travel plans as hundreds of workers at Heathrow prepare to strike.
The Unite union said 700 workers will walk out from the early hours of Friday November 18 until early on Monday 21.
The strike involves staff employed by Dnata and Menzies carrying out a range of roles including ground-handling, airside transport and cargo.
Unite said the strike will lead to disruption, delays and cancellations at Heathrow terminals 2, 3 and 4 and will particularly affect Qatar Airways, which has scheduled an additional 10 flights a week during the World Cup.
The strike could also cause disruption to passengers returning to the United States for the Thanksgiving holiday, on November 24.
Other leading airlines that will be hit heavily include Virgin, Singapore Airlines, Cathay-Pacific and Emirates.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Our members at Dnata and Menzies undertake highly challenging roles and are simply seeking a decent pay rise.”
“Both companies are highly profitable and can fully afford to make a fair pay increase.”
“The owners and directors are simply lining their own pockets rather than paying their workers fairly” she said.
“The workers at Heathrow will have Unite’s complete support during this dispute.”
The World Cup starts on 20 November with England's first match on 21 November.