Transport strikes, rail engineering work and traffic congestion are combining to make Easter 2023 a very challenging time to travel.
British Airways has made dozens of flight cancellations due to a walk-out by 1,400 members of the Unite union working in security at Heathrow airport.
French air-traffic controllers – who look after airspace used by tens of thousands of British passengers every day – continue to cause delays and cancellations of European flights. Italian aviation workers will strike on Sunday, causing more disruption.
While most holidaymakers will get away without undue delay, British travellers are encountering high air fares and package prices abroad. Air Passenger Duty is halved on Saturday 1 April, making travel within the UK cheaper.
But those seeking a city-break at home could be among the first to pay a tourism tax, applied from 1 April in Manchester.
How likely is it that your Easter getaway will be impacted by transport issues? These are the key questions and answers – starting with strikes.
How disrupted is Heathrow airport?
Most passengers are travelling normally. The walk-out by security workers at Terminal 5 continues until Easter Sunday, 9 April, unless an agreement is found. It has caused the cancellation of 32 British Airways flights every day; BA has also grounded many more on the first day of the industrial action, Friday 31 March, but for reasons unconnected with the security staff strike.
Heathrow airport is telling passengers to turn up no earlier than two hours before European flights, or three hours before intercontinental flights.
British Airways from Terminal 5 is the only airline/airport combination in the UK where a stoppage is taking place; anyone flying from another Heathrow terminal or a different airport should travel as normal – subject to industrial action elsewhere.
What strikes are happening in France?
The skies above France are the main concern. Air-traffic controllers have joined the nationwide campaign against President Macron’s proposals to raise the French retirement age from 62 to 64. Campaigners believe the social and economic effects on the rest of Europe will add foreign pressure for the pensions reforms to be abandoned.
Flights from Germany to Portugal, the UK to Spain and Ireland to Italy cross France (or, these days, take expensive, polluting and time-devouring diversions to…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…