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.

Here’s everything you need to know about upcoming train and airport strikes in Europe this Christmas.

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.

Italy: Airport staff plan coordinated walkout

On 17 December, certain ground handling staff, airline crew and air traffic controllers in Italy will take part in coordinated strike action.

The four-hour walkout will include ENAV staff at Rome airport, who handle air traffic control; Assohandlers staff, who cover ground services at major Italian airports and for airlines including Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet; staff at ITA Airways, Italy’s national carrier; Vueling airlines staff; and ground staff for Air France and KLM companies.

It will run from 1-5 pm but could cause disruption throughout the day with flight delays and longer queue times for check-in and baggage, including at major airports in Milan, Rome, Venice, Naples and Catania.

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

UK: London airports face Christmas strikes

From 19 to 22 and 26 to 29 December, easyJet ground staff at London’s Luton Airport will walk out, causing potential delays with check-in and baggage handling.

London Heathrow Airport is also bracing for Christmas travel chaos: on 22 to 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.