Strikes at European airports this weekend may disrupt vacation plans for hundreds of passengers

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Thousands of travellers may see their summer time vacation plans thrown into mayhem this weekend because of deliberate strikes. 

Airport staff in Italy will stage a four-hour nationwide strike on 26 July, probably resulting in dozens of flight delays and cancellations. 

Demands for improved security, higher working situations and work-life stability and nationwide contract renewals are driving this industrial motion. 

Strike motion can also be happening at airports throughout Spain and Portugal, including to the potential journey chaos.

Where will flights be affected by strikes?

Major airways corresponding to EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways, Wizz Air, Tui, Volotea and ITA Airways may very well be affected, as baggage handlers, floor workers and airport staff are anticipated to stroll out at each main Italian airport from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday. 

This contains the Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino, Florence, Naples and Venice airports. At Milan Linate airport, Swissport gate providers and check-in workers may also strike. 

Earlier this month, Italian strikes brought about 73 incoming and outgoing flights to be cancelled in at some point. This included flights from Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo and Naples. 

Spanish flights are additionally prone to be impacted this weekend, as finances Spanish airline Volotea’s crew and pilots stage a strike on Saturday as properly. This may have a widespread affect throughout key European air journey routes. The airline at the moment flies to greater than 100 European cities. 

In Portugal, staff on the former Groundforce, now Menzies Aviation, will strike over the last weekend of July and the final 4 weekends of August. The strike may significantly have an effect on Lisbon Airport.

The strike by staff at SPdH/Menzies, previously Groundforce, begins on 26 July at midnight and ends on 29 July at midnight. The protest shall be repeated throughout weekends in August, from 8 to 11, 15 to 18, 22 to 25 and 29 August to 1 September.

Major airports, together with Lisbon, shall be significantly badly affected.

What can travellers do?

While these upcoming strikes will little question trigger inconveniences, there are a number of steps travellers can take to remain ready and higher knowledgeable. 

This contains checking the Italian Ministry of Transport’s web site for official strike info in addition to asking particular airways and airports for the most recent updates. Travellers are additionally suggested to verify the standing of their flight earlier than leaving for the airport. 

If journey plans can’t be modified round strike dates, avoiding peak hours whereas heading to the airport and arriving with loads of time to spare may also help as properly. 

Under Italian legislation, minimal service ranges are required throughout strike motion, which ensures that some flights function as traditional. Flights scheduled between 7am and 10am and between 6pm and 9pm normally fall below these laws and are prone to not be impacted. 

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) additionally publishes an inventory of assured flights, which travellers can test for various preparations. Flights to sure islands, corresponding to to and from Sardinia, Sicily and Lampedusa, are sometimes excluded from strikes as properly. 

Travellers could also be entitled to compensation in some circumstances. 

“Under EU Regulation 261/2004, when disruption to a passenger’s journey is caused by an airline’s own employees, such as the planned Volotea staff strike, passengers may be eligible for compensation. This is because instances like these are considered within the airline’s responsibility,” Darina Kovacheva, head of Legal at SkyRefund, stated. 

She added: “Volotea passengers whose flights are either delayed or cancelled at short notice due to this industrial action may be entitled to compensation of £250–£520 (€286.9-€453.2), based on the distance of their flight.”