If you’re heading on a summer trip to Spain, your holiday could be disrupted as Ryanair baggage handlers are about to strike. In fact, they’re planning to strike for the rest of the year.
The industrial action, which is due to start on August 15, will take place across 11 Spanish airports:
- Barcelona
- Lanzarote
- Madrid
- Girona
- Valencia
- Seville
- Alicante
- Ibiza
- Malaga
- Palma de Mallorca
- Tenerife South
- Santiago de Compostela.
Workers from Azul Handling, which is part of the Ryanair Group responsible for baggage handling, will walk out in response to ‘constant breaches’ of labour rights.
Here’s everything we know so far.
How long will the strikes last?
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The strikes confirmed for this month are set to begin on 15 August, and will run for three days.
The good news is the strikes won’t last all day, but during designated time slots: 5am to 9am, 12 noon to 3pm, and 9pm to 11.59pm.
Which, to be fair, is still a lot.
However, there are more strikes to come.
After August, strikes are scheduled every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 31 December 2025.
That’s four months of strike action, affecting all of Ryanair’s bases in Spain.
Who will be affected by the Spanish strikes?
Essentially, anyone on a Ryanair plane to or from Spain is at risk of having their flight affected.
However, the low-cost carrier is attempting to reassure passengers that journeys will continue as normal.
In a statement, the airline said: ‘Ryanair does not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these third-party handling strikes in Spain.’
However, previous baggage handler strikes in Europe have caused widespread issues, often resulting in longer queues at check-in, and lengthy wait times to collect baggage.
What if my flight is disrupted due to strikes?
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK and EU airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails and, if they offer you a place to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards.
But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses. The hotel minibar or penthouse suites likely can’t be expensed.
If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. Though, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
Whether you’re eligible for the above depends on the distance of your flight and how long you have waited:
- For short-haul (up to 1,500km over two hours or less) you must have been waiting for two hours or more.
- For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours), it’s three hours or more.
- For long-haul (more than 3,500km over four hours or more) it’s four hours or more.
If your flight is covered by UK law, you can choose between getting your cancelled flight refunded or being booked on an alternative route.
Any part of your ticket you haven’t used is eligible for a refund. You’ll typically get your money back within a week.
If you’re hoping for extra compensation though, you might be dissapointed. EU regulations state that airlines don’t have to pay out to passengers if the disruption was caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’, and this includes strikes.
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