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Travellers to Mallorca advised to fly with hand luggage only on strike dates

Travellers to Mallorca advised to fly with hand luggage only on strike datesMallorca’s Palma Airport has issued advice for travellers during several days of strikes by two separate groups of workers, starting from today. Metal sector staff, who are responsible for maintaining baggage belts, sorting systems and tarmac vehicles, as well as attaching boarding bridges, have planned a series of Balearic-wide walkouts from Monday 27 July to Thursday 30 July. From Tuesday 28 July, Swissport staff, who manage airline check-in desks, baggage handling and ramp services at Palma Airport, are also planning a series of strikes during peak periods. They are due to walk out from 7am-12pm and from 7pm until 10pm on Tuesday, and on August 1, 4 and 8 in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The airport issued a statement warning passengers of possible disruption, especially on 28 July, when the planned strikes overlap. It said that, under Spanish law, strikes cannot bring services to a standstill, but only 50% to 60% of international flights on ‘high-demand routes’ are guaranteed to operate, along with 100% of inter-islands flights and 70% to 80% of domestic flights. ‘Widespread’ cancellations are ‘unlikely’, it said, adding: “The most realistic impact for passengers will be longer waiting times and potential operational bottlenecks.” It said they should expect possible delays at check-in and bag drop desks, boarding gates during morning and evening walkouts and at baggage carousels on landing. Passengers most likely to be affected are those travelling with airlines handled by Swissport, including TUI. However, the metal sector strike, from 27-30 July, will affect all airlines operating at Palma, Ibiza and Menorca, including Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2. This could lead to delays at baggage carousels and slower aircraft turnarounds. To reduce disruption, Palma Airport is advising passengers to travel with hand luggage only to bypass potential check-in and baggage carousel delays, to check in online to reduce time spent queueing and to keep an eye on airline apps for possible updates. It said passengers should stick to the standard arrival window advised by their airlines – usually two to three hours before departure. “Arriving half a day early can worsen airport congestion,” it added.tgos.news