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Will my summer holiday flights be cancelled? | |
(6 days later) | |
Flight cancellations and airport delays are expected to continue, affecting summer holiday plans for many. | |
Airlines had already been struggling with staff shortages, and now face further disruption after aviation workers across Europe voted to strike. | |
Some operators have begun cancelling flights, to try to prevent a repeat of the chaos seen at airports in recent months. | |
What are the strikes about? | |
Strikes are expected from security staff, baggage handlers and airline cabin crew in a number of European countries. | |
Ryanair staff are striking across Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain over poor working conditions and low pay. | |
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary dismissed union claims as "complete rubbish". | |
Easyjet workers in Spain argue their working conditions are worse than those of their European colleagues. | |
Easyjet told the BBC it was "extremely disappointed with this action", as it has made "considerable progress towards a new collective labour agreement". | |
Which routes will be affected? | |
Spain | |
EasyJet cabin crew in Spain working from Palma, Barcelona and Malaga have voted to strike for nine days in July, over three separate 72-hour periods: 1 to 3 July, 15 to 17 July and 29 to 31 July. | |
Easyjet said there could be some disruption, but that "at this stage" it planned to operate its full schedule. | |
Easyjet has already cancelled many flights this year because of staff shortages | |
Ryanair staff are expected to strike between June 24 to 26 June, and 30 June to 2 July. | |
Ryanair flies to ten locations in Spain, but details about which routes will be affected haven't been announced. | |
France | |
Ryanair staff based at Toulouse, Marseille and Paris Beauvais airports are planning to strike from June 25 to 26. | |
Workers at Paris's Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports will strike on 2 July - affecting all flights in and out of those locations. | |
Portugal and Italy | |
Ryanair staff will walk out between June 24 to 26 in Portugal, and Italian staff have timed their strike for 25 June to coincide. | |
Belgium | |
Ryanair staff plan to strike from June 24 to 26, affecting flights to/from Charleroi and Brussels. | |
This follows the complete walkout of screening staff at Brussels airport on Monday which led to the cancellation of all 232 departing flights. | |
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled? | |
Why are staff shortages so high? | |
Covid restrictions in the UK and across the globe were hugely challenging for the travel industry. | Covid restrictions in the UK and across the globe were hugely challenging for the travel industry. |
Airlines UK, the industry body, said airlines have cut about 30,000 jobs since the start of the pandemic, having employed 74,000 people in 2019. | |
Airports across Europe are also experiencing shortages, with operators in France reporting at least 4,000 vacancies. | |
Many airport staff who were laid off after the start of the pandemic have since taken jobs in other sectors. | |
Airport security staff shortages are a particular problem, as it can take months to get the clearance workers need to operate airside. | |
Swissport's UK boss, Jude Winstanley, said the company had hired 3,000 people since January, but many of them still didn't have full security clearance, limiting the duties they could carry out. | |
The government changed the rules at the end of April to allow new staff to receive training while waiting for their final clearance. | |
Why weren't these problems anticipated? | |
Demand for travel has grown sharply since Covid restrictions for travel across Europe and the UK were lifted. | |
But unions have accused the governments and airlines of failing to properly prepare the industry for the end of lockdown. | |
Gemma Antrobus from the Association of Independent Tour Operators said: "Getting back to those levels of staffing, of training, is not as quick and as simple as just a flick of a light switch." | |
UK airports saw severe disruption at Easter and May half term | |
The government insists ministers have been working with the industry to avoid delays, and says it has provided £8bn of support to the sector during the pandemic. | |
In comparison, the French government gave 15bn euro (£12.9bn) to its aviation sector in 2020 to offset the impact of Covid. | |
Some airlines have also had to be bailed out: TAP Portugal received a 1.2bn euro (£1.03bn) loan from the European Commission in 2020. | |
When will things improve? | When will things improve? |
After the severe problems seen over the Jubilee Bank Holiday, the government and the regulator warned airlines to ensure their summer timetables were "deliverable". | |
If not, they say flights should be pulled as soon as possible, to avoid large-scale, last-minute cancellations. | |
According to Conservative MP Huw Merriman, chairman of the Transport Select Committee, one of the big issues is that airlines have to use 70% of their airport slots or risk losing them. | |
In response, the government has announced an amnesty scheme which will let airlines temporarily hand back slots they will struggle to fill this summer, without having to surrender them permanently. | |
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said this would "help airlines provide certainty to passengers and ensure the next few months are as smooth as possible". | |
Airline UK boss Tim Alderslade described the move as "a welcome step that will help build greater resilience into operations this summer". | |
Gatwick Airport has already announced it will cut the number of flight slots during the peak summer months. | |
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