Irish holidaymakers worried about Spanish airline strikes were thrown a lifeline yesterday, the Irish Mirror can reveal.
The Spanish government have put protective measures in place which will mean “minimal impact” from cabin crew strikes in Spain this weekend.
The news came as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary rolled up his sleeves at Dublin Airport again yesterday morning to give his staff a dig out in checking in passengers.
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Mr O’Leary was pictured as he helped customers board a flight to London Stansted.
The airline chief was also snapped over the weekend helping passengers get through boarding during busy times.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror yesterday about the new Spanish measures, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said: “In Spain, because they depend so much on tourism, they are going to protect a large amount of the flights.
“Even if cabin crew are going to go on strike, they have to operate those flights by law. If you are a striker and you are put on a protected flight you have to operate that flight. And then there is a large number of our people who want to work as normal.
“There are more than sufficient people willing to work, and more than sufficient government holdbacks on flights, to avoid the chaos that some people are predicting.”
But he warned that Ryanair may cancel flights that have not been listed as protected.
He added: “If we need to cancel flights, we will contact passengers directly.” Ryanair’s union negotiations, he insisted, “are being done in the right way, we just need to be talking to the right people”.
He said: “After six weeks of negotiations we were able to do a deal with the largest union in Spain for better rosters and pay increases, which I think tells you the dynamic that we are up against here.
“There are two unions in Spain that we have been trying to negotiate with for five years.
“We have not been able to strike an agreement with them while we have done a deal with every other union in Europe.
“We have done agreements in Italy. The problem there is the unrecognised unions, and the last time they called a strike, just one cabin crew member went on strike.
“In Portugal there will be no disruption. Just 3% of staff are in the other union, the one we don’t have a deal with.” Mr Wilson said problems arose in the aviation and holiday industries “because a lot of companies did not hire people in time”.
Ryanair’s summer schedule remains in place even as easyJet have had to cancel part of theirs, but Mr Wilson admitted his airline is “not immune” because of air traffic control and baggage handling staffing issues.
Meanwhile, he said holidaymakers can expect sky-high flight prices in August as there is huge demand for seats.
He predicted that Irish overseas travel will have the longest summer in holiday history, as prices drop slightly, and demand stays high into September and October.
He added: “People who have been locked up for three years waiting for their holidays, they are not going to let the opportunity pass.”
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