A record number of Britons are expected to be flying abroad over the coming weeks for the Chistmas holiday however, apart from having to navigate the new EES biometric entry and exit systems, they also face possible disruption due to industrial action. In the UK, ground crew serving easyJet flights at Luton will walk off the job twice during the holiday period: first from 19 to 22 December, then again from 26 to 29 December. Passengers can expect slower check-in processing and baggage delivery.
However, easyJet expects to operate a full schedule over six days later this month when its ground-handlers are set to go on strike.An easyJet spokesperson commented: “We are disappointed to hear of the planned industrial action by Unite ground handlers employed by DHL at London Luton Airport on December 19-21 and 26-28.
“Should this action go ahead, we will work closely with the airport and DHL to ensure that robust contingency plans are in place to minimise any disruption so we are currently expecting to operate our full flying programme on these dates. In the meantime we urge DHL and Unite to reach an agreement as soon as possible.”
The action will involve easyJet check-in and baggage handling staff employed by DHL, who have voted to walk out for six days in a dispute over pay. Unite the union had warned of “festive Luton airport travel turmoil” because about 200 of its members voted to take action over the Christmas period.
Heathrow faces its own problems as cabin crew employed by Scandinavian Airlines Services refuse to work from 22 to 24 December and again on Boxing Day. Services to Nordic capitals including Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo will bear the brunt.
The SAS workers say their earnings have fallen so low they depend on food banks when overnighting in expensive Scandinavian cities, according to their union. Unite regional officer Callum Rochford accused the airline of “real Grinch-style behaviour”, adding that management was “taking advantage of the goodwill of its staff and will now be responsible for cancelled Christmas flights”.
Workers employed by Azul Handling—the company managing Ryanair’s ground operations across Spain—have been staging repeated walkouts since the summer in a dispute over pay, bonuses and job security. The pattern continues through New Year’s Eve, with staff refusing to work on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during three slots: early morning from 5 am to 9 am, lunchtime from noon to 3 pm, and late evening from 9 pm to midnight.
Ryanair passengers moving through a dozen Spanish airports will face the consequences. The affected terminals span the country’s busiest holiday destinations: Alicante, Barcelona-El Prat, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid-Barajas, Málaga, Palma, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tenerife South and Valencia.