Christmas travel chaos: All the European airport strikes to expect in December

Heading home this Christmas or taking a winter holiday? Travel strikes have become a familiar part of the festive season as workers target one of the busiest periods of the year in their fight for better pay and conditions.

Some walkouts are planned months in advance, while others are announced just days or hours before. Check before you travel to avoid the chaos of last-minute changes.

With less than a week to go until Christmas, here’s everything you need to know about upcoming train and airport strikes in Europe this December.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you could be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

UK: London airports face Christmas strikes

Further baggage handling strikes at London’s Luton Airport, planned from 26-29 December, have been called off after workers received an improved pay offer.

London Heathrow Airport, however, is still bracing for Christmas travel chaos: on 24 and 26 December, Scandinavian Airlines Services (SAS) cabin crew will walk out. Flights to the airline’s main hubs like Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo are likely to be affected.

Workers are protesting poor pay that has reportedly forced them to rely on food banks when travelling to expensive Scandinavian hubs, according to the union Unite.

“This is real Grinch-style behaviour from SAS - it is taking advantage of the goodwill of its staff and will now be responsible for cancelled Christmas flights,” says Unite regional officer Callum Rochford.

Spain: Ongoing baggage handling strikes cause delays

Since the summer, staff working for Ryanair’s Spanish ground handling partner, Azul Handling, have been staging weekly walkouts over working conditions, bonuses and job stability.

Until 31 December, strikes will continue on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 5-9 am, 12-3 pm and 9 pm to midnight.

Ryanair passengers could therefore face longer queues and delays with check-in and luggage collection at the following airports: Alicante, Barcelona-El Prat, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid-Barajas, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tenerife South and Valencia.

At Madrid-Barajas airport, ground handling services are additionally striking on 26 and 30 December and on 2 and 7 January between 8-12 am and 6-10 pm.

The industrial action is expected to mainly affect IAG-owned airlines Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Vueling.

Passengers are being contacted by airlines about their options for rebooking or refunds. Those who have booked with a travel agency should contact the agency directly.

Italy: Airport strikes in January

After airport staff across Italy staged a coordinated strike on 17 December, the country is set for more travel disruption in the new year.

On 9 January, Italian trade union CUB Transporti, which represents ground staff, has called a four-hour strike (1-5 pm) at airports across the country, with flight delays and cancellations possible.

On the same day, Swissport Italia ground handling staff at Milan Linate airport also plan to walk out for 24 hours.

Flights to and from Verona airport on 31 January may also face disruption as ENAV air traffic control staff walk out.

You can find a list of guaranteed flights published by Italy’s civil aviation authority, ENAC, here.

EU's Entry/Exit System rollout leads to long border delays

Non-EU nationals travelling into the Schengen Zone should also be aware that many airports now have the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) operational at borders.

Where it is in place, visa-exempt travellers from the UK, US and other non-EU countries must register their biometric data at dedicated kiosks.

The new border checks are already causing headaches for passengers, who have reported long lines as people navigate the processing procedures for the first time.

A report from Airport Council International (ACI) Europe has warned that at the worst-affected airports - particularly in France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Portugal and Spain - waiting times can be up to three hours.

In some cases, delays have resulted in passengers missing their flights.