MILLIONS of Easter holidaymakers have been warned to expect severe travel disruption after baggage handlers launched an indefinite strike across Spain’s busiest airports today.
The walkouts by ground staff at 12 major travel hubs, including Malaga, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca, began early on Monday, March 30.
More than 5,500 workers for Groundforce and Menzies have downed tools in a bitter dispute over pay and inflation.
Groundforce staff will strike every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during three peak windows.
These windows are 5am to 7am, 11am to 5pm, and 10pm to midnight.
Meanwhile, rival handler Menzies has called full 24-hour strikes from April 2 to April 6.
It means the disruption will reach a critical peak on Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Monday, April 6, when both companies strike simultaneously.
The Spanish transport ministry estimates that up to 1.34 million passengers are at risk of flight delays, long check-in queues and baggage chaos.
Experts have urged travellers to fly with hand luggage only if possible, as baggage carousels are expected to bear the brunt of the walkouts.
Crucially for expats and tourists, consumer rights advocates warn that passengers will not be entitled to standard European Union financial compensation for delayed or cancelled flights.
Because the strikes are being carried out by airport ground staff rather than the airlines themselves, the disruption is legally classed as an ‘extraordinary circumstance’.
READ MORE: Spain’s Easter holiday airport strikes: All you need to know as disruption starts TODAY
The affected airports include Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Bilbao, Sevilla, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Tenerife Norte, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Airlines have been ordered to maintain a minimum service, but travellers are advised to check their flight status before heading to the terminal.
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