Summer travel meltdown: Brits face travel chaos as strikes by Gatwick workers could hit plans of 840,000 passengers, while second walkout by European air traffic controllers could disrupt thousands of flights
- Household budgets also being hit by inflation and mortgage repayment costs
Families are facing a summer holiday meltdown amid strikes, punishing heatwaves and price rises.
Eight days of walkouts by Gatwick workers, including check-in staff and baggage handlers, are expected to cause massive disruption, delays and cancellations.
Almost 4,500 flights are scheduled to take off from the airport over the strike days, carrying up to 840,000 passengers.
A separate decision by European air traffic controllers to take industrial action could bring further chaos; a third of flights – about 100,000 – are at risk.
A third blow to the holiday industry comes from record heatwaves on the Continent. Temperatures are tipped to exceed 45C (113F) – making it too hot to go to the beach at popular resorts.
Eight days of walkouts by Gatwick workers are expected to cause massive disruption, delays and cancellations
Tourists shelter from the sun with umbrellas near the Colosseum in Rome
Millions of families are now questioning whether an increasingly costly foreign break is worthwhile, with research showing that only 25 per cent of those considering one have actually booked.
Household budgets are also being stretched by sky-high inflation and soaring mortgage repayment costs.
The Unite union announced that 950 staff working at Gatwick for ASC, GGS, Menzies Aviation and DHL Services will take part in two four-day strikes at the end of this month and early next month. The companies provide services, including ground handling, baggage handling and check-in agent roles, to major airlines such as British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, TUI, WestJet and Wizz Air.
Unite regional officer Dominic Rothwell said: ‘Strike action will inevitably cause severe delays, disruption and cancellations across Gatwick’s operations, but this dispute is entirely of the companies’ own making.’
The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: ‘Our members at Gatwick undertake incredibly demanding roles and are essential to keeping the airport and airlines working, yet their employers somehow think it is acceptable to pay them a pittance.’
Earlier this week, easyJet cancelled 1,700 flights across the summer peak period – hitting the travel plans of 180,000 people – with other airlines expected to follow suit. The airline claimed this was pre-emptive action to head off problems expected as a result of strike action and a lack of capacity in air traffic control operations across the Continent.
Paul Charles of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, said: ‘It’s going to be another summer of stress sadly.
‘A combination of strikes, air traffic control restrictions and cancellations is the cocktail no traveller wants to see or experience.’
He said the cost of living crisis meant that 75 per cent of people who hope to take a foreign holiday are still yet to make a booking, and the strikes will put many off.
Almost 4,500 flights are scheduled to take off from the airport over the strike days, carrying up to 840,000 passengers [File image}
A separate decision by European air traffic controllers to take industrial action could bring further chaos; a third of flights – about 100,000 – are at risk [File image}
A volunteer gives water to a visitor near the Acropolis hill, during a heatwave in Athens, Greece
A child refreshes at a fountain in Piazza del Popolo, Rome
British holidaymakers cooling off during Spains heatwave in Benidorm today
Greek people enjoy a sea bath during a sunny day amid high temperatures at a beach near Athens, Greece
A heatwave could break records in Italy, with temperatures expected to soar past 45 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country
‘In our research, 59 per cent of those interviewed expect there will be strikes and staff shortages at airports this summer,’ he added. ‘It is definitely a factor in putting off people from booking overseas and the more flight cancellations there are, the more people who wait until the last minute become disillusioned.’
The PC Agency research found 65 per cent of those who had ruled out a holiday cited lack of affordability as the key reason.
‘The cost of living crisis has led to more hesitation than expected in bookings, as consumers are faced with significantly higher costs for holidays across all the popular holiday hotspots including Spain, Greece, France, Italy and Turkey,’ Mr Charles added.
‘Every part of the hospitality industry is affected from hotels to villas and apartments, with all other providers including car hire, spas and tourist attractions also passing on their increased costs to consumers.’
Julia Lo Bue-Said of the Advantage Travel Partnership, which represents independent travel agents, said: ‘The threat of striking by Gatwick Airport staff is yet another blow to the industry and will be further disappointing news for those who are looking to travel over the coming weeks.
‘The industry will have built in a high level of resilience into its operations over the summer months, but it is essential for all airports and airlines to do all they can to ensure that consumer confidence to travel remains high and keep any disruption to a minimum.’
The holiday industry trade body, ABTA, said: ‘The threat of strike action often comes at busy times of the year, like the school summer holidays, and is usually averted following talks between the relevant parties.
‘The industry is experienced at managing and mitigating the impacts of strikes on the rare occasions that they do go ahead.’
Airlines UK tried to ease concerns, saying: ‘Airlines have made huge efforts since the pandemic to build resilience into operations, and will do everything within their power to minimise disruption from air traffic control strikes and a more constrained European airspace which are outside of their control.’
Gatwick Airport said it was up to the individual airlines and third-party companies that employ ground staff and check-in workers to come up with contingency plans.
