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Strikes in Europe Are Leaving Some Travelers Stranded. What You Need to Know.

As workers in Europe protest low wages and adverse working conditions, travelers may find themselves having to contend with disruptions. Experts offer some tips.

By Isabella Kwai

Travelers to Europe are largely free from coronavirus restrictions, but they may have to contend with another challenge: navigating disruptions as airline, railway and bus workers walk off the job over low wages and labor conditions.

That was the case on Feb. 17 after a full-day strike by airport employees across Germany halted airline operations countrywide, leading Lufthansa, Germany’s largest airline, to cancel more than 1,300 flights . Some travelers were stranded overnight.

“People were tired and desperate,” said Kate Kennedy, 43, who was transiting through Frankfurt to London with her family when their flight home was canceled. She, her sister, their partners and four young children spent much of the day waiting for standby flights. Lufthansa was not much help, she said, adding, “It was such a shame to end a holiday like that.”

Travel experts are anticipating a busy travel season ahead , with bookings to many European destinations matching, and, in some cases, surpassing prepandemic numbers. But with high inflation continuing to pressure European workers who say they are underpaid and overworked, strikes are expected to hit industries from aviation to rail and urban metros.

“It’s going to be an uncertain environment and one that’s subject to a lot of disruption and inconvenience for travelers,” said Henry Harteveldt, the founder of Atmosphere Research Group , a travel industry research company based in the United States.

Here’s a look at how labor disruptions could affect travelers to Europe in the weeks and months ahead.

Who is striking and where?

Several European countries are expecting widespread industrial action in the coming months.

In Britain, ongoing national railway strikes will stymie train journeys through at least April 1, and Heathrow Airport security guards and engineers are voting on whether to join them over the mid-April Easter break. Passport Office workers will also strike in April, meaning there may be delays in processing renewals of the British document.

In France, an unpopular bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron that would raise the country’s retirement age has prompted disruptive demonstrations and some clashes with police. Labor unions that represent workers in several sectors have held several mass strikes that have stymied movement, with King Charles III of Britain even postponing a state visit on March 28 because of expected cross-industry labor unrest that day. Workers at the country’s national railway operator, SNCF, have walked out several times already this year, and unions have not ruled out continuing the action. Civil aviation authorities have asked airlines to reduce flight schedules to cope with the disruptions.

Air traffic controllers in Spain, deadlocked over pay negotiations, have walked out on Tuesdays in March at some 16 Spanish airports , and Swissport, a Zurich-based company that provides ground-handling services for several major airlines, has confirmed that its unionized employees in Spain will participate in rolling strikes until April 13. In Italy, baggage handlers, railway staff and some local public transport workers will also be striking throughout March and into April, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport .

And Ver.di, one union behind a spate of March walkouts at airports in Germany that grounded flights , has said it is prepared to stage more walkouts if wage negotiations are not resolved.

How can I plan for a strike?

The first thing to do is to check whether your trip might coincide with a planned strike, travel experts say, and avoid traveling on those dates, if possible.

Strike notices are typically posted weeks in advance. Travelers should do their own research rather than wait for airlines or agents to share critical information, said Mr. Harteveldt, the travel analyst. “It’s definitely not an easy time to travel, and travelers have to really take the initiative to protect themselves,” he said.

That includes checking local news sites and setting alerts for strike dates. Some authorities, including in Italy, provide a calendar of national and regional strikes . Eurail B.V., a company that sells European rail passes, has a list of many anticipated disruptions by country .

Also, Mr. Harteveldt said, consider flying to your destination a few days before or after a planned strike if you’re traveling for a time-sensitive event like a wedding or a funeral. And make sure the airlines and your travel adviser, if you used one, have your up-to-date contact details in the event of last-minute changes. If that happens, be prepared to accept compromises and alternative routes to your final destination.

“If you’re coming over to Europe, I would try to book as early as you can,” said Sean Tipton, a spokesman for ABTA, a trade association for British travel agents.

Rob Stern , another travel adviser, offers his clients some practical tips when traveling in places where labor disruptions are a strong possibility: Visit your most important attractions at the beginning of a city visit, avoid one-day trips, and book a backup travel option in advance if you can.

“Strikes can be alarming to travelers, but they don’t need to be stressful,” said Rick Steves , the travel writer and television host, adding that because strikes are generally announced in advance, flexible travelers can find alternatives. “Ask your hotelier, talk to locals, look for signs, check online and then adapt from there.”

What am I entitled to if my flight or train is delayed?

Under European Union rules , if an airline cancels or significantly delays a flight, travelers flying into, out of, or within the bloc (with some exceptions) have the right to either a refund or a replacement flight with the original airline or with a partner airline. Those rules also apply to travelers from Britain, even though it is no longer in the European Union.

You may be entitled to reimbursement for personal costs, such as food and accommodations, if you are delayed overnight. And if your flight is delayed for three hours or more, you may also claim further compensation of between 250 euros to 600 euros, or about $265 to $635, depending on the distance of the trip .

Airlines may not be obligated to pay compensation if there are extraordinary circumstances such as extreme weather conditions, or a strike by workers not related to the airline, such as air traffic controllers.

Many American travelers in Europe are unaware of their passenger rights, which include reimbursement for luggage gone astray as a result of labor actions, said Igor Mass, a founder of My Fly Right . The group, which is based in Germany, helps about 100,000 passengers in Europe each year prosecute airlines to get compensation for flight disruptions and lost luggage. Mr. Mass advises travelers to document any inconveniences: Make sure you have written confirmation of flight delays and hold onto receipts incurred during disruptions, so you can support your claims later.

Whether such claims are resolved quickly , however, depends on the airline. Airline call centers and travel agents may be swamped by customer requests if a strike affects operations, which could lead to long wait times to get assistance.

For flights that involve connections, Mr. Tipton suggests booking the trip as a single ticket, rather than as multiple flight bookings. Under European Union and British law, a single ticket protects customers by putting the responsibility on the airline to see the traveler through to their final destination. “If you miss the first leg, it’s the airline’s problem. They still have to get you on another flight back to the U.S.,” he said.

In the event of a strike, most European railway companies will offer refunds or a chance to rebook on a later train, but it is best to check the railway operator’s website for updates. For instance, Comboios de Portugal, which operates trains in Portugal, has travel alerts on its website with information on how to seek a refund in the event of a strike.

Should I get travel insurance?

If you own a credit card, check first to see if it comes with travel insurance that will cover labor disruptions.

“Find out what is covered, and if there is a financial limit or any other restrictions,” Mr. Harteveldt said. After that, he added, it’s up to the individual traveler to determine if any additional travel insurance will provide peace of mind.

Some travel insurance may “cover incidental expenses, like the hotel stay you have reserved in the next city you can’t get to in time,” Mr. Stern said.

If you decide to buy extra travel insurance , check the terms and conditions. Some, for example, may not offer coverage if strike dates have already been called by the time you buy the insurance.

Anything else to keep in mind?

Even if an industrial action disrupts your plans, it’s important to not become overly anxious about the outcome, Mr. Tipton said. “It’ll be an inconvenience rather than a disaster.”

And the event might add another perspective for tourists. “My favorite way to handle strikes is to view them as a cultural experience,” said Mr. Steves, recounting a visit to Marseille, France, during a strike. “I explored the markets, enjoyed photographing striking parents as children rode on their shoulders, and learned firsthand what labor action is all about.”

But the flight disruptions after the German airport workers’ strike earlier this month added more than a day of travel for Ms. Kennedy and her family, who said they waited six hours at the airport before they resigned themselves to staying in Frankfurt for the night. “The kids were broken,” she said. Displeased with the customer service she had received from Lufthansa, Ms. Kennedy said she is planning to seek compensation for the delay.

She also suggests keeping phone and device chargers in your hand luggage. “We would have really struggled without them.”

Despite her ordeal, she was not apprehensive about traveling again — she is already scheduling another trip during the Easter holidays to visit her sister in Denmark.

After her Frankfurt experience, she said, “I think I’d do a little bit more research around where I’m going and what the strike situation is there.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2023 .

Isabella Kwai is a breaking news reporter in the London bureau. She joined The Times in 2017 as part of the Australia bureau. More about Isabella Kwai

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French strike forces Ryanair to cancel more than 300 flights across Europe

Ryanair urges European Commission to protect overflights and keep EU skies open

Ryanair has demanded that the EU reform its skies after the airline was forced to cancel more than 300 flights across Europe scheduled for Thursday because of a strike by French air traffic controllers.

The cancellations come in spite of the withdrawal of strike action by one of the biggest unions, the SNCTA, which came too late to avoid disruption after France’s civil aviation authority asked airlines to cut flights.

Ryanair said 50,000 of its passengers would be affected because of France’s failure to protect overflights – where planes fly over the country without landing there – during industrial action.

It said most of the disrupted passengers would be simply flying over French airspace en route to the likes of Greece or Spain.

The airline called on the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen , to take action to protect overflights by law during air traffic control strikes, to allow Europe’s other controllers to manage flights over France during the strikes, and limit the power of unions to call strikes immediately.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said: “French air traffic controllers are free to go on strike, that’s their right, but we should be cancelling French flights, not flights leaving Ireland, going to Italy, or flights from Germany to Spain or Scandinavia to Portugal.

“The European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has failed for five years to take any action to protect overflights and the single market for air travel. We’re again calling on her to take action to protect overflights which will eliminate over 90% of these flight cancellations.”

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Despite the French strike this week, O’Leary said he believed air travellers would see significantly less disruption over summer 2024 than during the past two years, when labour shortages and strikes limited capacity.

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Passengers face ‘major disruption’ as hundreds of Heathrow Airport staff announce week-long strike

The uk’s busiest airport has stressed it has robust contingency measures in place to deal with industrial action, article bookmarked.

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Passengers at Heathrow , the UK ’s busiest airport, face “major disruption” as 800 members of the Unite union prepare to walk out for a week.

Unite is calling out firefighters and staff in airside operations, passenger services, trolley operations and campus security from Tuesday 7 May to Monday 13 May.

The dispute is over plans for outsourcing what the union calls “hundreds of roles” in an exercise designed to save £40m.

Unite’s regional co-ordinating officer, Wayne King, said: “Strike action will inevitably cause widespread disruption across the airport, leading to delays and disruption. However, this is a dispute that HAL [Heathrow Airport Ltd] has brought on itself.

“Unite is committed to ending the race to the bottom that HAL appears to be set on and that is best achieved through introducing multilateral collective bargaining on pay and conditions for groups of workers at Heathrow regardless of their employer.”

The union says the airport plans to outsource work in passenger services (assisting travellers to catch connecting flights), trolley operations, and campus security (the security guards check vehicles and staff) by 1 June.

Firefighters and airside operations staff plan to walk out in support, says the union, because they fear they “may be next in line”.

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “Heathrow airport’s actions are deplorable. It is raking in massive profits for the bosses while trying to squeeze every last penny out of its workforce.”

The airport says it has robust contingency plans in place for each of these individual areas and anticipates no impact on passenger journeys.

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We are reorganising our operations to deliver better results for our customers. There are no job losses as a result of these changes, and we continue to discuss with Unite the implementation of these changes for the small number of colleagues impacted.

“Unite’s threats of potential industrial action are unnecessary, and customers can be reassured that we will keep the airport operating smoothly just like we have in the past.”

In a separate dispute, Unite members at the airline refuelling firm AFS are planning to strike on 4, 5 and 6 May .

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Interrail app disruption

• 1 year ago 16 June 2022

• Full steam ahead

I wonder if interrail app has righ now some distruption? 

I have opened my app today. I am currently traveling and have my mobil ticket activated but today it dissapeard and if I want to add it again it sais that something wrong happend that I should try again. The same respons I get if I try to send question to help center via app. Does anyone experiencing same problem?

All the best,

Best answer by mavy0001 16 June 2022, 11:07

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Earlier today I experienced the same issue, and found a thread which suggested I uninstalled the app and then reinstalled it, and it came back, however it will create a new trip and I can't figure out how to connect it to the one I was using, but better than nothing.

This is the thread fyi:

I see now that this is problem for everyone. Reinstalling the app helped :). Would appreciet if interrail can take responsibility and inform about such big scale issue and how to solve it. Maybe just by sendning the email or some notification via app.

Indeed, the fact that I was unable to even contact customer service in any way shape or form and had to come here is quite concerning, but at least there is a solution.

• 9733 replies
• 1 year ago 20 June 2022

I see they've started a knowledge base (very small still):

https://eurail.zendesk.com/hc/en-001/categories/360003060697-Technical-Issues

But the disappearing pass issue with the Android 24.0.0 update on 15 June is mentioned.

For such a serious problem, however, a push message via the app would have seemed a good idea. @Marion  what do you think?

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