RYANAIR cabin crew will go on strike today across 10 airports in Spain causing disruptions to some flights over the next week.
The airline have said that they do not expect much disruption although the strikes are planned to last until Friday.
The USO and SICTPLA unions have confirmed that from Monday 18 to Thursday 21 and Monday 25 to Thursday 28 July there will be further strikes.
Ryanair has said it expects “minimal (if any) disruption to its flight schedules in July as a result of minor and poorly- supported Spanish labour strikes”.
“Less than 1 per cent of Ryanair’s flights have been affected in the past month by recent minor and poorly supported cabin crew strikes called by unions who are either not recognised by or who represent tiny numbers of Ryanair crews,” the airline said.
Read our live Ryanair strikes blog below for the latest information…
- Louis Allwood
Spain holiday warning
Brits are being warned to brace themselves for more "significant chaos" this summer when travelling to Spain.
Tourism alliance Exceltur has singled out the airports of south and north Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Malaga and Majorca for special warnings.
The organisation says there will be "significant and major chaos" as these airports are particularly popular with the Brits.
And Exceltur says it is "urgent" to improve the provision of border controls to try and improve the situation.
Vice president of Exceltur, José Luis Zoreda said the chaos is being created by the "strong explosion" in demand and will be particularly bad in those which record the largest arrivals of British tourists. This will include all the airports in the Canary Islands.
At the Madrid-Barajas airport, the shortage of personnel at passport controls must be remedied "urgently", Mr Zoreda added.
- Louis Allwood
Some good news
There is some hope however, as Spain is now allowing Brits to use their eGates at airports, speeding up airport queues.
Despite the welcome boost, holidaymakers are still being warned to make sure their passports are being stamped even if using the eGates.
- Louis Allwood
How do I know if my flight has been cancelled?
With all the delays and cancellations taking place at the moment, it can be tough to keep track.
If your flight has been cancelled your airline should contact you, this could be via email, text or phone call.
Here, your airline should explain what options you have, this can range from rescheduling to a refund.
If you haven’t been contacted by your airline, you may want to check their website.
- Louis Allwood
Why have flights been getting cancelled?
UK airlines cut about 30,000 jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic, when strict UK travel restrictions prevented travel.
Now they are trying to “scale up” by recruiting new staff, but for many, it hasn’t happened quickly enough.
Oliver Richardson of the Unite union says: “When you look at who is performing worst, it correlates with the companies that carried out the most redundancies.
“Ryanair agreed on no redundancies and a different position was taken by British Airways who lost 10,000 staff through redundancies. They got rid of too many people.”
- Louis Allwood
Why are aviation workers striking?
Europe and the United States have been plunged into travel chaos this summer as aviation workers strike, leading to thousands of cancellations, but why are they striking?
Thousands of workers from a number of different companies will go on strike, including Ryanair and BA.
Each union has their own demands, but most call for a return to pre-pandemic pay and better working conditions.
Many workers were fired during the Covid-19 pandemic, and have since been rehired at lower wages.
One airport worker told the New York Times: “We are flagrantly understaffed. And we can no longer make ends meet. Workers are demanding more.”
- Louis Allwood
Government warns Brits against traveling to Spain this summer
The travel chaos continues to get worse for Brits this summer, as strikes, unemployment and technical issues cause massive cancellations across the board.
And now, the UK government has warned against traveling to Spain this summer, as Ryanair workers announce strikes.
The Foreign Office travel advice stats: “Planned strike action in July may cause some disruption to EasyJet and Ryanair flights to and from Spain.
“If you think your travel plans may be affected, you should consult your airline for the latest travel updates.”
- Louis Allwood
Minimal disruption expected
A Ryanair spokesperson said they expected "minimal disruptions" during the strikes.
They added: "Less than one per cent of Ryanair’s flights have been affected in the past month by recent minor and poorly supported cabin crew strikes called by unions who are either not recognised by or who represent tiny numbers of Ryanair crews.
"Air Traffic Control (ATC) and airport staff shortages across Europe, which are beyond Ryanair’s control may however cause some minor disruption and any passengers whose flights are disrupted by ATC staff shortages will be notified of their entitlements by email/SMS."
- Louis Allwood
Why are the staff striking?
The strike action, announced by the USO and SICTPLA unions, was due to pay disagreements.
A Ryanair spokesperson said they expected "minimal disruptions" during the strikes.
- Louis Allwood
When are the strikes?
Ryanair crew will now walk out from July 12 to 15, as well as July 18 to 21 and July 25 to 28.
This will affect flights at ten bases across Spain – Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Palma, Valencia, Girona, Santiago de Compostela and Ibiza.
- Louis Allwood
Cabin crew go on strike
RYANAIR cabin crew have gone on strike today across 10 airports in Spain.
Crew plan to walk out for 12 days in July, affecting ten airports across the country including Malaga, Alicante and Ibiza.
- Louis Allwood
EasyJet holiday warning
EASYJET passengers are being warned to check their hand luggage before travelling or they could face problems at the airport – and even miss their flight,
Many holidaymakers are travelling with just hand luggage this summer, due to the long bag drop queues at the airport, as well as luggage going missing.
However, Brits who need their medication will have to take it in their hand luggage – and some airlines have been requiring additional documents for them.
GPs have raised concerns after the airline has asked passengers for a GP letter – despite just a prescription being needed.
BMA’s GP Committee said in a statement: "It has been brought to our attention that some airlines are advising that travellers bringing medication in their hand luggage should bring a letter from their medical practitioner confirming the type of medication and what it is for.
"We will raise this issue with the airline, but in the meantime, we would remind practices that patients can print off their medical record from the NHS app, or alternatively, practices are able to charge for travel-related requests for information."
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