If you’re jetting off to Spain for a break between now and Easter, you may be faced with travel problems.
17 of the popular holiday destination’s airports are set to see a series of 24 hour walkouts from union workers with airport handling company Swissport, the Sun have reported.
The company provides services to passengers and ramp assistance at: Barcelona-El Prat, Reus, Alicante, Valencia, Murcia, Almería, Salamanca, Valladolid, Burgos, Logroño, Zaragoza, Huesca and Lanzarote.
At Gran Canaria and Tenerife Sur, Swissport assists executive aviation companies and in Madrid and Malaga it operates air cargo handling services.
Airlines such as Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air France, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, Emirates, Finnair, Iberia Express, Icelandair, Iran Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish Airlines and Vueling all use Swissport – meaning thousands of travellers will be hit by the strike action.
When are the strikes taking place?
Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from next Monday, February 27 until April 13.
Why are workers striking?
The union have spoken out about working conditions and say that they’ve been campaigning for better conditions for its members for more than eight years.
A union spokesperson said:
“This is the reality faced by the workers of Swissport Handling and for which it has been decided to say enough.
“We will not allow workers to have to give up the improvements they have been waiting for for years.”
What should I do if my flight is cancelled?
Already booked a flight with an affected airline? You will need to wait for cancellations or strike dates to be announced before you can take action.
If you have a journey that is time-critical, you might want to consider booking an alternative flight, but do bear in mind that you will only be able to get a refund on your flight if it’s grounded.
“We recommend customers book as normal, Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel, previously told HuffPost UK about summer strikes last year. “Airports and airlines are working together to minimise disruption and good travel agents will ensure customers are fully protected in case anything does go wrong.”