Ryanair cabin crew is Spain have begun five months of strike action. The walkouts, which began on Monday (August 8), will take place every week from Monday to Thursday.
Members of two Ryanair cabin crew unions, Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) and Sitcpla, are taking action. So far this summer, similar action has taken place over 18 days, causing 310 cancellations and around 3,455 delays.
In July, Ryanair, which has flights from Newcastle Airport, reached a pay deal with French and Spanish pilots after a separate dispute. The airline claimed that the current cabin crew walkouts would cause “minimal (if any) disruption”.
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On the first day of the action, there were nine cancellations and 42 delays. Barcelona-El Prat airport was the worst affected, followed by Madrid and Malaga.
The unions say that their demands include a call for the immediate reinstatement of the 11 workers fired after striking in July. They also say that they want "the application of basic labour rights" and better pay.
The strike action adds to a summer of misery for holidaymakers. Queues at security, cancelled flights and delays at ports have added up to a summer of discontent.
Which airports are affected by the cabin crew walkouts?
This action will mainly affect Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Seville and Palma de Mallorca . Both national and international connections will be affected.
Previous action affected 10 airports in total: Madrid-Barajas, Malaga, Barcelona, Alicante, Sevilla, Palma, Valencia, Girona, Santiago de Compostela and Ibiza. There are currently no plans for talks between the airline and unions.
How can I check if my flight is affected?
The number of flights affected by the walkouts is expected to be small. The airline says: "Ryanair operates over 3,000 daily flights (almost 100,000 per month) and less than 1% of these flights have been affected by Spanish cabin crew disruptions."
If you are due to fly to Spain, you can check the travel updates page on the Ryanair website. If your flight is cancelled, you have certain rights.
What other disputes are affecting flights?
In addition to the Ryanair strike, easyJet pilots in Spain are also striking, for three separate three-day periods. The first will take place from August 12-14, the second from August 19-21 and the third from August 27-29.
The affected airports are Barcelona, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca. Again, you should check on the easyJet website for travel updates.
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