Air Europa

Passengers arrive to discover their posessions have been left behind as days of walkouts start at sites – full list

Passengers flying from 13 Spanish airports hit by strike action have landed to discover all their luggage has been left behind, local media has reported. Canarias said the first day of the strike by Groundforce workers, the ground handling operator that services Air Europa flights, resulted in continuous delays across all the airline’s flights and passengers arriving at Canary Island airports without their luggage, having had to leave it behind at their point of origin.

Alternating work stoppages are taking place between 5 and 7 am, 11 am and 5pm, and 10 pm and midnight, the first day of the strike affected 13 Spanish airports, three of them on the islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, where delays occurred throughout the day. These delays did not originate at the island airports but rather on flights arriving primarily from Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao, with delays approaching an hour.

Airports impacted are Barcelona-El Prat, Madrid-Barajas, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Bilbao, Lanzarote, Alicante, Valencia and Malaga. The Groundforce strike is scheduled for this Wednesday (April 1) and Good Friday (April 3), with the possibility of becoming indefinite.

Because the aircraft operate on a network, delays accumulated throughout the day, causing significant disruptions to flights departing from the three affected airports in the archipelago. At major airports on the Iberian Peninsula, such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao, planes departed without luggage in their holds throughout Monday, leaving many passengers arriving at their destinations without their belongings.

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It’s worth remembering that the most affected route is Madrid-Gran Canaria, on which Air Europa operates seven flights daily. According to Orlando Robledano, secretary of the aviation sector at the UGT union, the strike’s impact on Canary Island airports has been reduced due to the minimum services imposed by Groundforce on all Lanzarote Airport employees. Even members of the works council received this notification requiring them to comply with these minimum services, making it impossible to achieve the level of participation required for a strike of this nature.

This, coupled with the fact that domestic flights at Canary Island airports are protected and must be serviced regardless of delays, meant that the problems were less severe at the islands’ airports than at those on the mainland. Other affected airports include Alicante, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, and Málaga.

Hosteltur reported that strikes at Canary Island airports during the peak days of Holy Week, between Maundy Thursday (April 2) and Easter Monday (April 6) may be called off as workers at Menzies—who provide check-in, boarding, and baggage services to airlines such as Norwegian, EasyJet, and British Airways—along with the works council and their union representatives from UGT, are close to reaching an agreement to call off the strike that was set to affect nearly 3,000 of the group’s employees in Spain, 600 of them in the Canary Islands.

At least six planes took off from Madrid-Barajas Airport on Monday without their passengers’ luggage due to an indefinite strike by the ground handling company Groundforce. On this first day of the strike, disruptions are being reported at all airports, although the most significant impacts are felt in Madrid and Barcelona, according to union sources, Telecinco reported.

Passengers report long queues and checked baggage left on the tarmac during the first day of the strike The indefinite strike by Groundforce ground staff began this Monday at Barcelona Airport, with protests taking place at three different times. The affected services are all those related to ground handling.

Long queues were reported at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, where Alberto García said: “There have been some delays, and some planes have even departed with very little luggage. It was the protesters themselves who informed passengers that their bags would not arrive on time.

“The unions continue fighting for their objective and are demanding that the company comply with the wage agreements stipulated in the collective bargaining agreement.” At this time, many people have seen their flights significantly delayed or have had their luggage left behind.

In Madrid, people have had to wait for extended periods to check their luggage. Some report waiting for “four or five hours.”

Many planes, especially those arriving from Madrid, “are arriving without luggage, and the problems are spreading,” a UGT spokesperson told Europa Press, adding that “there is no guarantee that luggage will arrive.” The delays “affect not only direct flights but also many connecting flights, since passengers arrive without their luggage and therefore miss their next flight.”

Talks broke down this week that would lead to widespread disruption for travellers over Easter to airports in places like Mallorca and the Canary Islands

UK tourists have been given a significant update over planned strike action at multiple airports in Spain. Talks broke down this week before officials announced that strikes would be held over several dates in March and April.

Airports set to be affected by the measures included Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, , Gran Canaria, Málaga, Alicante, and Tenerife (South and North). Now an update has been reported in the Spanish press.

Two sets of strikes at Spanish airports have been partly cancelled, according to Spanish media reports. There had been concerns about extensive disruption at major airports throughout Spain owing to industrial action.

Larazon now reports that trade unions have postponed imminent strikes due to start today that would have seen staff at airport services operators Groundforce and Menzies walk out. The update comes after advances in wage negotiations – but strikes planned for later on have yet to be cancelled, according to local media.

Spanish reports say that trade unions have called off the first day of strike action at Groundforce, Air Europa’s ground handling company, and the first two days of the strike scheduled for this weekend at Menzies, another airport ground handling operator. This is according to sources from the UGT trade union speaking to Efe.

The partial and indefinite strikes planned Groundforce strikes were set to began this Friday. They would have coincided with the beginning of the Easter holiday exodus.

Ultimahora reports that the industrial action at Groundforce had been scheduled for the morning, afternoon and night shifts (from 5am to 7am, from 11am to 5pm, and from 10pm to midnight) with plans set to continue indefinitely. Additionally, the UGT has agreed to call off the first two days of industrial action at Menzies, planned for this Saturday and Sunday. In Menzies’ case, the strike had been called exclusively by UGT – the main union at the firm – for 28 and 29 March, and between 2 and 6 April.

The English language Majorca Daily Bulletin reports that 24-hour strikes for Menzies staff from April 2 to April 6 have not yet been scrapped. It also reported that there is no sign of further suspensions to the other planned strike action for Groundforce staff.

The strike notice at the ground handling operator covered all businesses within the group (Menzies Aviation Ibérica and Menzies Ground Services) and around 3,000 employees. The union had cautioned that, should no deal be struck with the company, the strikes would be rolled out to every weekend until the year’s end.

Groundforce operates at Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Valencia, Ibiza, Bilbao, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Menzies operates at Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South and Tenerife North.

Delays are expected at check-in, baggage handling and other services affecting UK holidaymakers

Major UK tourist hotspots are set to face disruption within days due to widespread strike action. The Canary Islands in Spain is getting ready as unions prepare to go on strike this and next month.

Airports across the Canary Islands are bracing themselves for industrial action by ground handling staff over the Easter period. Trade unions representing workers at Menzies and Groundforce have announced walkouts.

More than 1,500 employees throughout the islands are expected to take part, according to Spanish website Canarias7. Aviation hubs in the Canary Islands are making preparations for the ground handling strike announced for Easter week, which forms part of a nationwide protest.

Three major spots used by Brits are set to be affected, according to the website. Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura are all set for disruption.

The industrial action has been organised by staff at Menzies and Groundforce. Reports say the action will almost certainly lead to hold-ups in ground operations – including check-in, baggage processing and collection.

Menzies has a workforce over 600 and handles operations for carriers including Norwegian, British Airways, and EasyJet, among others. It operates at Gran Canaria, Tenerife North, and Tenerife South airports, as well as on the mainland at major airports such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga and Alicante.

The UGT union-coordinated action will kick off this weekend (28th and 29th March), with further stoppages planned for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th April, during the peak travel period for Easter week. Groundforce is a Globalia group firm providing services to Air Europa. We reported earlier this week that the action is taking place over rights and working conditions for staff.

Unions say they are taking strike action over the implementation of pay scales among other things. Close to 900 employees across the Canary Islands – encompassing Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura – face disruption. The Groundforce industrial action is set to begin tomorrow, 27th March, with walkouts planned for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays across staggered time slots: 5:00-7:00am; 11:00am-5:00pm; and 10:00pm-midnight.

On the Menzies action, Spanish media reports say that should no agreement be reached, the strikes will continue every Saturday and Sunday until 31 December, following the same timetable. That could lead to months of disruption.