The union says this is a "major escalation" in its pay battle with the airport and will see more than 2000 officers strike for 31 days between 24th June and 27th August. With all days set to target mostly leisure travellers, disrupting weekends at the start of school summer holidays.
The strike action by staff, who have already rejected a 10.1% pay rise also coincides with the Eid festival on 28th, 29th and 30th June as well as the usually busy August bank holiday weekend - 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th August. Rather than affecting business, the union seems to have targeted days that will affect leisure travellers and families going on holiday, many of whom will not have been offered such a high pay rise this year.
The dates of the strikes are:
24, 25, June
28, 29 and 30 June
14, 15, 16, July
21, 22, 23, 24, July
28, 29, 30, 31 July
4, 5, 6 , 7 August
11, 12, 13, 14, August
18, 19, 20 August
24, 25, 26, 27 August.
These strikes are likely to cause mass disruption and hundreds of cancelled flights affecting many thousands of travellers directly as well as many more indirectly. The walkout will also affect the safe operation of the airport leaving Heathrow open to attack.
The airport has said it will do all it can to minimise disruption during the strike action, a spokesperson told the media "Unite has already tried and failed to disrupt the airport with unnecessary strikes on some of our busiest days and we continue to build our plans to protect journeys during any future action.
The simple fact remains that the majority of colleagues do not support Unite's strikes. There is a two-year inflation-beating pay rise ready for colleagues if only Unite would allow them to have a say".
British Airways is understood to be in the planning stages of axing more than 100 flights over the strike days and at this time it is unclear if any other airlines will cancel flights.
The strikes are coming at a difficult time for the airport, which has already reported losses of nearly £140 million during just the first three months of the year, with expected losses to be more than £500 million by the end of the year.
Passengers affected by disruption and cancellations because of a strike by security officers will not be entitled to compensation from the airline they were due to travel on because such events are described as extraordinary circumstances.
"These strikes are dangerous and cause more anger and aggression towards other staff who work at the airport." one Heathrow worker told us in an email. "Unite has specifically targeted weekends so it can cause havoc to ordinary people because it believes it has their support. They've been designed to ruin summer for those with the least in their pockets"