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Thought aviation strikes were over this summer? We’ve got some unfortunate news. While the planned strikes at Heathrow and Gatwick have both been cancelled or suspended, travellers flying from Luton Airport later this month may still have their holiday plans disrupted.
Around 80 ground handling staff working for Wizz Air at Luton are due to go on three 24-hour strikes, after negotiations between the company and the Unite union collapsed. Unite says the action will case ‘huge disruption’ to the airline’s schedule, whilst analytics company Cirium reckons around 78,000 people could be affected. We’ve got all the important info right here.
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UK train strikes in August and September 2023: dates for when the next rail strike is planned.
What dates are the Luton Airport strikes?
The walkouts are planned to go ahead on August 30, September 6 and September 13.
Can I get compensation if my flight is affected by the strikes?
Apparently, maybe not. Because the striking workers are not directly employed by the airline, if your flight is cancelled or delayed, it could be considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’. That means that usual compensation rules don’t apply.
That said, Wizz Air still have a duty of care if the flight is delayed by more than two hours. It has to provide reasonable food and refreshments, as well as internet data or two phone calls.
In the event that your journey is cancelled, the airline has to offer an alternative service or a refund if none are available.
Is the train to Luton affected?
The Thameslink and East Midlands Railway, which both run services to Luton Airport, will still be running.
What does the airline say?
A spokesperson for Wizz Air said: ‘We are in touch with Luton Airport and our ground handling partner and are doing everything within our control to limit disruptions for passengers.
‘In case of any disruptions, we will reach out to any affected passengers who booked directly with the airline via email and SMS and let them know their options as soon as we have an update.’
Are there any other transport strikes this summer?
It’ll like come as a surprise to absolutely no one that train strikes are still going on in August and through September. You can find out more about those here. Thankfully, however, recent strikes planned at Heathrow and Gatwick airports have both been called off.
Did you see this UK airport is officially the worst in Europe for flight delays?
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