Tens of thousands of holidaymakers are travelling to Spain for the first major weekend of summer, but ground crew strikes at 12 major airports are causing significant disruption. Reports indicate waits of up to five hours at baggage carousels, with passengers arriving at popular destinations like the Canaries and Malaga without their luggage.
The strikes, organised by Spain's three main transport unions, target the Easter period to maximise pressure on the country's largest ground handling company. Affected airports include Barcelona-El Prat, Madrid-Barajas, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Bilbao, Lanzarote, Alicante, Valencia, and Malaga.
The Groundforce strike will last 24 hours on Good Friday (3 April), with further actions planned over Easter. Strikes are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during peak windows: 5am–7am, 11am–5pm, and 10pm–midnight. Travel specialists Send My Bag have compiled four recommendations to help ensure luggage arrives with its owner.
Darren Johnston of Send My Bag said: 'These strikes have hit at the worst possible time for families. When baggage handlers walk out, it creates a massive backlog. Even if your flight lands on time, you could be looking at several hours of waiting at a standstill carousel, or worse, your bags being left behind entirely.'
Reports today indicate that some passengers at major Spanish airports are experiencing waits of up to four to five hours to collect luggage, with further accounts of baggage going missing altogether.
