Tui has issued a warning to customers setting off this week to prepare for train strikes that could scupper their journey to the airport.
The tour operator put out a statement to passengers reminding them of two days of industrial action on Britain’s railways, which will cause widespread delays and cancellations, and urged them to leave extra time for trips to catch flights.
Tui’s statement says: “We’d like to remind customers of a planned national train strike on Wednesday 27 July which is likely to affect services into airports across the country throughout the day and into Thursday 28.
“If you are heading on holiday on either of these days please plan ahead and make alternative plans to get to your departure airport if necessary. We’d also recommend allowing extra time for your journey.”
Some 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out for 24 hours on Wednesday 27 July in a dispute over pay and conditions, with major delays and cancellations expected across the nextwork.
Due to the scale of the strike, further disruption is expected to bleed into Thursday 28.
Operators affected by Wednesday’s strike include: Network Rail, Chiltern Railways, Cross Country Trains, Greater Anglia, LNER, East Midlands Railway, c2c, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Eastern, South Western Railway, Transpennine Express, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Trains, London Overground and GTR - including the Gatwick Express.
Gatwick Express also put out a warning to customers on Twitter, saying: “National industrial action is taking place next Wednesday 27 July.
“Service will be severely disrupted; please only travel by rail if necessary. On Thursday 28 July, service starts much later than normal. A Sunday service will then operate.”
Later in the week, members of the Aslef union - involving train drivers across eight UK rail operators - will walk out for 24 hours on Saturday 30 July.
The strike will impact Arriva Rail London, Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.
Meanwhile, in August, leisure passengers will be hard hit once again by the latest strikes announced by the RMT union.
Staff working for Network Rail and 14 train operators will walk out on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August, one of the busiest weekends for UK travellers.
Holidaymakers making any part of their journey by train should plan well ahead for all of these dates as well as surrounding days, and expect frequent cancellations and delays on most lines.
