British holiday makers booked on potentially hundreds of Ryanair flights could have their holidays scuppered if planned strikes go ahead.
Yesterday Ryanair's Spanish cabin staff announced that they would go on strike for six days in late June and early July.
The staff will walk out on June 24, 25, 26 and 30 and on July 1 and 2, as they are discontent with working conditions and pay, USO union said.
A spokesperson for Ryanair has played down the impact of the strikes, saying the airline will run more flights than in its peak summer-season schedule of 2019.
However, 2018 saw the airline cancel hundreds of flights due to industrial action by crew members, raising the prospect that the same could happen this summer.
It is possible that significantly more than a hundred flights connecting Spain and the UK could be impacted.
On June 24 alone - the first day of the planned industrial action - ten Ryanair flights are heading from Barcelona to UK airports, five from Madrid, two from Seville, 16 from Majorca, and five from Ibiza.
Multiplied by six days and the return legs, it's clear the impact on British holiday makers could be significant.
The Mirror has asked Ryanair how many of those flights would've been staffed by Spanish crews taking part in the strikes, and how wide the airline predicts the disruption will be.
Meanwhile, Ryanair staff in France have also called for industrial action which could affect the summer holidays.
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Those affected by the strikes should be able to claim compensation if their flight is cancelled or delayed.
Under EU law adopted by the UK following Brexit, airlines must compensate customers who are affected by issues within the company's control.
Depending on the length of the planned flight and the delay, Ryanair fliers could get up to £520 compensation, according to Air Help.
We've also got a full guide explaining your refund rights when flights are delayed or cancelled.
If your flight is cancelled by an airline, you are legally entitled to a refund.
In fact, you're actually entitled to either a full refund, or being booked on an alternative flight to your destination. You may also be offered a voucher from the airline to use for a future booking.
According to the Citizens Advice Bureau, a full refund also includes "other flights from the airline that you won’t use in the same booking such as onward or return flights".
Last week labour organisations including SITCPLA and USO came together to demand an uplift, claiming they have "no other option" but to walk out if it is not given.
The move comes after Ryanair - Europe's largest budget airline - walked away from talks with USO and SITCPLA last Tuesday, Bloomberg reports.
Do you work at Ryanair? Confidentially email webtravel@reachplc.com
The unions, speaking in Madrid, said they would look to coordinate action with other unions representing Ryanair staff in Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal, according to Bloomberg.
Last week a spokesperson for the latter union said: “We’re coordinating our actions with European counterparts.”
USO and STCPLA said in a joint statement that Ryanair lacked commitment to dialogue and accused the airline of acting in bad faith.
Negotiations on a collective agreement made “almost made no progress” due to the unions’ “unrealistic demands and refusal to meaningfully engage,” a letter from Ryanair said following the failed talks.
It is unclear when the strikes will take place, and how many flights will be impacted.
A spokesperson for Ryanair told The Mirror last week: “Ryanair has negotiated collective agreements covering 90% of our people across Europe. In recent months we have been negotiating improvements to those agreements as we work through the Covid recovery phase.
"Those negotiations are going well and we do not expect widespread disruption this summer.
"In Spain, we are pleased to have reached a collective agreement with CCOO, Spain’s largest and most representative union, delivering improvements for Spanish-based cabin crew and reinforcing Ryanair’s commitment to the welfare of its cabin crew.
"These announcements by the much smaller USO and SITCPLA unions are a distraction from their own failures to deliver agreements after three years of negotiations and we believe that any strikes they call will not be supported by our Spanish crews.”
