As demand for travel to Europe surges during the busiest period of the year, several popular destinations are poised to be impacted by labor strikes this summer.
Countries such as Belgium, England, France, Italy, Germany, Scotland, Spain and even Sweden are among those to be potentially impacted in July.
The situation in France is a fluid one as workers continue to protest the raising of the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. Related protests and strikes have been ongoing for months so travelers would be wise to stay up to date on the latest travel advisories and media reports.
Meanwhile, public transport staff in Italy will strike for 24 hours starting July 7 in a move that will affect trains, ferries and metro services throughout the country. But that's only the beginning as staff from national rail operator Trenitalia and private operator Italo will walk out for 23 hours starting from July 13.
Ground staff at airports including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Amerigo Vespucci in Florence will stage walkouts as well on July 7 so travelers should anticipate delays.
Italy's main air traffic control operator ENAV has also planned a 24-hour strike on July 15, which is likely to prompt more travel headaches.
In Scotland, Unite the Union is preparing for key worker strikes at Glasgow Airport over its latest pay offer. The 24-hour walkouts are scheduled for July 6 and July 11, with the staffing shortages likely to impact services aiding passengers with mobility issues.
Eiffel tower at sunrise. (Photo Credit: Getty Images/anyaberkut)
Elsewhere in the U.K., approximately 100 staff members at England's Birmingham Airport are voting to strike over pay. According to Euronews, security guards and technicians voted in favor of strikes last week, meaning that passengers could face delays starting as early as July 18. Industrial action could continue "indefinitely" from then on.
The impacted security and terminal maintenance at Birmingham Airport could result in delays for passengers flying airlines like Wizz, Ryanair, Lufthansa and Emirates.
Ryanair passengers could also face problems in Belgium this summer.
A pair of trade unions in CNE and ACV Puls along with the pilots' union Beca are threatening to strike in Belgium on July 15-16.
"We apologize in advance to passengers planning to travel with Ryanair between now and October 2024 who may be affected by these strikes," unions said in a statement. "But we can no longer allow Ryanair to violate the basic principles of Belgian social dialogue."
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