Brits warned to travel with hand luggage only as Spanish airport strike starts TODAY

TravelNews Travel STRIKES at an airport in Spain have started today – with passengers being told to ditch cabin bags for hand luggage to avoid the chaos. Walkouts from multiple unions will continue across the next couple of weeks affecting baggage handling and check-in. Staff at Palma Airport are striking across the next two weeks Credit: Getty The airport is one of the busiest in Spain during the summer Credit: AFP via Getty Images Palma Airport on the island of Majorca is one of the busiest in Spain during the summer season – and lots of its workers are going on strike. The first walkouts are by those working in technical maintenance, ground equipment and airport infrastructure roles. Sign up for the Travel newsletter Thank you! These are being planned by three unions, which started yesterday and will continue until July 30. Swissport – who handle check in and boarding – is also striking today, as well as on August 1, 4 and 8. On these days ground staff will walk out between 7am to 12pm, then again from 7pm to 10pm. The airport has warned passengers that today could be particularly bad as the strikes coincide at the same time. Airlines affected by the Swissport ground handlers’ dispute include TUI. But others could be affected too, as a statement from the airport said that “its impact will stretch beyond Swissport-handled airlines”. Most read in Travel While flights are yet to be cancelled, according to Qsensor, the wait time at security in Palma Airport this morning has been 26 minutes longer than average. Passengers going to the airport during this time have been asked not to arrive too early and even ditch check-in bags for hand luggage instead. The airport has asked passengers to take precautions during the strikes Credit: Alamy On its website, the airport issued advice to travellers who are heading through the terminal on strike days. Check in online: Complete your check-in online before heading to the airport to minimise time spent in queues. Travel light if possible: Travelling with hand luggage only allows you to bypass potential check-in and baggage carousel delays. Monitor your airline’s app: Keep a close eye on text alerts or app notifications from your airline for real-time schedule updates. Arrive on time (but not too early): Stick to the standard arrival window recommended by your carrier (usually two to three hours before departure). Arriving half a day early can worsen airport congestion. On the strike, a TUI spokesperson said: “We are aware of planned industrial action affecting airline operators at Palma airport. “At this stage, we do not anticipate any disruption to our customers. However, we are working closely with our local teams and airport partners to minimise any potential impact. “As always, we will proactively update our guests if there are any changes to their itinerary. Customers should continue to check their flight details as usual before travelling.” Meanwhile, Ryanair told Sun Travel that it will “operate as normal” with “no impact to operations”. easyJet also said its flights will be operating as normal. Comment now