With the summer holidays fast approaching, passengers are set to be disrupted due to the announcement of multiple strikes taking place across Europe that will impact air travel in the upcoming weeks.
AirHelp, the world’s largest organisation advocating for the rights of air passengers, provides guidance on how to act when facing strikes organised by different parties. With ongoing staff shortages, long hours and poor working conditions, many workers at airlines and airports are striking, including air traffic controllers. These strikes began on 30th June and are predicted to affect one in three flights across Europe.
In Spain, Air Europa announced its third strike in recent months. The first affected over 60 affected flights, followed by another 115 flights in the second strike. Currently, more than 15 flights have already been cancelled with more to follow.
In addition, Air Nostrum and Iberia Regional have joined the strike in Spain, which has been ongoing since last February. According to AirHelp data, it has already affected more than 25 flights, with 8 of them being cancelled.
For passengers travelling to Portugal or Italy, local ground staff have also called a strike, which is set to take place in July and August.
Passengers facing strikes from airline staff have the right to claim financial compensation for the delay or cancellation of their flights. But in the case of airport staff striking, passengers are not able to claim compensation. However, regardless of the reason for the strike, all passengers must be offered an alternative flight, which they can refuse if they do not wish to continue with their journey. In such cases, passengers can request a full refund of the ticket amount.
Furthermore, if additional expenses have been incurred during the wait due to the flight disruption (such as food, accommodation, or those arising from lost baggage), passengers can request the airline to cover these costs.
How can AirHelp help passengers?
AirHelp has been advocating for travellers who find themselves in a vulnerable position due to flight cancellations or delays for the past 10 years. During this time, over 1.5 million people have already received compensation for their cases. There are, however, still many passengers who are unaware of their rights, which is why AirHelp recently relaunched its Passenger Rights Guide with the latest industry regulations.
Additionally, AirHelp has introduced AirPayout, an insurance feature added to AirHelp Plus. With this insurance, passengers can receive an immediate compensation of €100 for flight delays or cancellations, regardless of the reason for the disruption. This means that disruptions caused by adverse weather conditions, medical emergencies, or airport staff strikes, which according to EU Regulation 261 can exempt the airline from compensation obligations, will also be covered and compensated.
