Brussels Airlines has cancelled nearly all its flights for 1 October 2024 due to national strikes organised by airport security worker unions in Belgium. In an announcement on Friday 20 September, the carrier said it had made the decision to cancel the majority of the day’s flights after Brussels Airport requested all airlines review schedules in preparation for the industrial action.
80% of flights to be cancelled
Brussels Airport served 2.4 million passengers and handled 18,600 flights in August, officials figures show. It is the main hub for Brussels Airlines, which is likely to be one of the worst affected by the strike action.
Reported by Reuters, a spokesperson for the carrier said Brussels Airlines would be cancelling 80% of the 203 flights scheduled for the day. Affected passengers will be contacted by the airline which said it would do the “utmost to get everyone on their destination with the least possible delay” by offering alternative flights “on an earlier departure date, a later date or the same day via another hub of Lufthansa Group.” The proposal for an alternative flight would come via mail and passengers will be able to accept it with one simple click, if they wish.
Service Centres working to find solutions
Thanking “concerned passengers for their patience and understanding” as well as staff members who are making “tremendous efforts in finding solutions for all its passengers”, Brussels Airlines apologised and encouraged them “to check their contact details in ‘My Booking’ on its website. On that same page, passengers can also check the status of their reservation. They can also get information via the chat assistant or via their travel agent.
The carrier added that it had “reinforced its Service Centres today to have maximum capacity to help passengers needing further assistance. However, considering the many rebookings that have to be done, waiting times might be longer than usual.”
Rising profits, lack of investment
Airport workers complaints centre around poor working conditions and contracting practices which they blame on a lack of investment in staff, equipment and facilities despite the airport growing its bottom line in 2023. Those profits have been invested customer-side while staff face the consequences of cost-cutting measures, unions say, including high sickness rates and recruitment and retention issues. The strike is expected to be joined by hospitality and retail workers and is timed to coincide with a protest march in the European capital on the same day.
