Ryanair Baggage Strike Heads to Spanish Airports – Will Your Trip Be Impacted
Spanish Airports in the Hot Seat
Hold onto your boarding passes—recent strikes are turning the skies over Spain into a roller‑coaster of delays and cancellations. Here’s the scoop on how these labor disputes are shaking up the nation’s air travel.
What’s Happening?
- Multiple Airports Affected: From Madrid to Barcelona, a handful of key hubs are feeling the tremor.
- Time Slots in Trouble: Early‑morning flights and late‑afternoon showtimes are the most vulnerable—good to be ready for a flight change.
- Potential Service Shifts: Airlines may cut or rearrange schedules to keep the skies moving, but this often comes with wayward plans.
How to Keep Your Travel Smooth
Planning ahead can save a lot of hassle: double‑check flight times, stay in the loop with airline updates, and be flexible about your itinerary. If you’re on the ground, local transport options may also serve as a backup.
Bottom Line
While the strikes might make you feel like you’re stuck on a broken runway, a bit of anticipation and adaptability will keep you grounded in peace—at least until the jet engines sputter back into action.
Ground Crew Take Flight—Ryanair’s Azul Handling Goes on Strike!
From the crew that lifts you off the tarmac to the wheels that get you into your destination, the people behind the scenes have enough reasons to protest. On 15 August, workers at Azul Handling—the ground‑handling arm of Ryanair—will walk out at every Spanish airport in a bid to fight what they call “continuous precariousness” and “constant breaches” of labor rights.
Where the action will unfold
- Madrid
- Barcelona
- Seville
- Malaga
- Alicante
- Ibiza
- Palma de Mallorca
- Girona
- Tenerife South
- Lanzarote
- Santiago de Compostela
Timeline of the Strike
It all kicks off on 15 Aug, and the crew will cover three blocks of the day:
- 05:00 – 09:00
- 12:00 – 15:00
- 21:00 – 23:59
After that, the schedule turns into a regular episode—every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—until the end of December 31, 2025. That’s a marathon of strikes that will touch every Sunday, making sure the groundwork is secure before the next flight.
What It Means for You
Planning a trip? If you’re heading to or from any of the airports listed above from mid‑August onward, keep an eye on your flight status. Ryanair will let you know if your booking is affected—just think of it as a way to avoid accidentally being stranded on the runway.
Meanwhile, the striking workers are demanding better pay, safer work conditions, and respect for their rights. If you’re a fan of the cake and coffee that make the airport crew community strong, let’s support their fight for a fair deal.
UGT calls for better conditions for its workers
Azul Handling Accused of Playing a Dangerous Game
After FeSMC-UGT’s Air Sector asked the Interconfederal Service of Mediation and Arbitration (SIMA) for help, the group says it’s time to dust off the negotiation table before the next walk‑out hits the runway.
Why the Workers Are in a Fistfight With Management
- No Fixed Hours: Permanent part‑time staff are still juggling clocks that never settle.
- Forced Extra Hours: Employees feel squeezed into overtime without a clear demand.
- Heavy-Handed Discipline: “Overkill” sanctions that go beyond what happened.
- Broken Promises: The joint committee’s economic guarantees and pay bonuses are being gawked at, not kept.
- Medical Leave Curfew: An illegal cap on when employees can return after sickness.
- No Family Friendly Hours: Flexible schedules get a flat‑broke denial.
What UGT Says About Azul Handling
“Azul Handling keeps the workforce on the edge with a strategy that feels more like a circus than a workplace,” claims José Manuel Pérez Grande, the federal air‑union secretary. He warns that basic labor rights are being pushed aside while the union’s pleas fall on deaf ears.
What the Union Is Really After
- Pull back the punitive hits that are souring the crew.
- Stick to the agreement’s court decisions.
- Open a real dialogue to make life better for the 3,000+ workers spread across the country.
We’ll keep our eyes on the runway to see if Azul finally turns the lights on and gets the discussion full‑speed at the next station.
