Europe’s travel strikes: Flight and train disruption you can expect in January and February
Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.
Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.
Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.
Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.
If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.
UK: Train drivers call rolling strike
Members of the Aslef union have called a rolling schedule of one-day strikes and an overtime ban between 30 January and 5 February.
The walkouts will impact different operators on different days, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, GTR, LNER, Southeastern, SWR and TransPennine Trains.
Train drivers are in a long-running dispute over pay, which they say has not increased in five years.
London Overground strikes will also take place on 19-20 February and 4-5 March, union RMT has announced.
Germany: Airport security strikes
Germany is bracing for chaos on 1 February as union Verdi has called for a strike that’s set to cause flight cancellations and and delays at major airports.
Lufthansa will be badly affected by the security staff walkout, with over a third of flights at risk.
Hamburg Airport and Berlin Brandenburg have said that all departures will be cancelled on Thursday. Arrivals could also be affected. Cologne Bonn has advised passengers to check their flight status before travelling to the airport.
Nationwide transport strike in Germany
On 2 February, buses, trams and underground services will grind to a halt in Germany as members of the Verdi union walk out over staff shortages and working hours.
The strike comes just days after train drivers ended a week-long walkout.
‘Open-ended strikes’ could hit Germany’s rail network in the coming months if an agreement is not reached by the 3 March deadline.
Finland: Airports to be hit by strikes
Members of Finland’s JHL union, which represents around 12,000 airport workers, have announced a 48-hour strike on 1-2 February.
National carrier Finnair says it expects the walkout to have a significant impact on flights. If you have a flight booked between 31 January and 3 February, the airline will allow you to travel earlier or postpone your trip up until 15 March.
It is not yet clear which flights will be cancelled or delayed. Other services such as ground handling are also expected to be impacted, causing further delays for passengers.
France: Seven-month strike notice could hit Paris Olympics
Disruption is expected on the Ile-de-France bus and metro network as CGT-RATP has announced a seven month strike notice from 5 February to 9 September.
Workers at the state owned public transport company say they are walking out over pay. Strikes could hit during the Paris 2024 Olympics if a deal is not reached.