Travellers in Europe this Easter weekend are being urged to check for delays or cancellations with strikes expected in several holiday hotspots.
This Easter weekend is expected to be especially busy with 11,282 flights scheduled to depart from UK airports alone, according to analytics firm Cirium.
Travellers are advised to check their flight and booking status regularly as negotiations are still ongoing in many cases, and strikes could be called off last minute.
UK: Gatwick airport workers to strike
The Unite union announced earlier this month that there would be strike action at Gatwick Airport – the UK’s second busiest airport – starting on Good Friday 18 April and ending in the early hours of the morning on 22 April.
This includes baggage handlers, check-in staff and flight dispatchers for airlines including Norwegian, Delta, TAP and Air Peace. The union says it expects the industrial action to impact around 50 flights a day, with long queues and delays at check-in counters.
The company at the heart of this dispute, Red Handling, said this week that it is confident it will find a resolution and that contingency plans will be in place over the busy Easter period.
Spain: Hotel workers to walk out in Tenerife
A planned strike by hotel industry workers will go ahead in Tenerife on 17 and 18 April.
The walkout was planned across the Canary Islands, but an agreement was reached to suspend the strike on the neighbouring islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Workers in Tenerife, however, say that their employers have not been as willing to listen to their demands. Unions say they are still open to last-minute negotiations, which would avoid the strikes.
The Canary Islands Department of Tourism and Employment has set minimum service levels for the hospitality industry over the Easter Weekend. It would mean some basic services, such as reception and concierge or cleaning, restaurants and cooking, still have to go ahead even if a walkout happens.
The CCOO union, which called the strike, however, insists that the hospitality industry is not an essential service and has said these minimum services will not be met by the strike committee.
“The imposition of minimum services constitutes an illegitimate, disproportionate, and legally unsustainable restriction on the fundamental right to strike,” CCOO stated in a press release.
France: Train strike could be called with 48 hours notice
Members of the Sud Rail union have issued a six-week strike notice between 17 April and 2 June. Though no dates have been confirmed, a strike could take place with as little as 48 hours notice.
This will only affect train controllers working for national operator SCNF, but could mean some services are delayed or cancelled during the action.
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