The early Easter holiday season has already been dogged by strikes over working conditions for Italian transport staff and for Greek public sector employees and air traffic controllers.
Now strike action is set to hit Easter weekend travel in the United Kingdom and Spain, with warnings of “major disruption” at Gatwick Airport from one British airport workers union, and a hotel staff walkout in the Canary Islands.
Expected impact on thousands of flyers at Gatwick Airport
Members of Unite, one of the UK’s largest unions, are withdrawing their labour from London’s Gatwick on Friday 18 April 2025, a national Bank Holiday, in a strike that will last the length of the Easter weekend and into Tuesday, 22 April. The industrial action will involve baggage handlers, check-in teams and flight operations workers employed by Red Handling. The union is protesting late pension payments, contractual failures, and poor working conditions. Airlines likely to be hit include Air Peace, Delta, Norwegian, and TAP.
“As the workers handle about 50 flights a day, the strike action will cause major disruption for holidaymakers planning getaways that weekend with expected flight delays, cancellations, long queues at check-in and baggage delays,” Unite has warned.
Gatwick has said it expects the Easter period to be the busiest of 2025 so far and that the strike could “impact thousands of passengers.” There are 11,282 flights scheduled departures from UK airports alone, according to Cirium analysts.
We are aware of planned industrial action by Red Handling UK throughout this weekend which may impact a small number of airlines at London Gatwick that they have contracts with. The airlines affected are:
— London Gatwick LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) April 17, 2025
• Air Mauritius
• Air Peace
• Delta
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Norwegian… pic.twitter.com/OIee6ijexI
Meanwhile Red Handling has said it has taken steps to ensure travellers benefit from “safe and timely travel” over Easter, with the development of a contingency plan and ongoing work and resolution talks to end the pay dispute by 10 May 2025. The firm has blamed an inherited “complex pensions scenario” for the staff discontent.
Hotel workers on Canary Islands walk out
Easter getaways to Spain’s Canary Islands could also be affected by a strike on 17 and 18 April, involving around 80,000 hotel workers in El Hierro, La Gomera, La Palma, and Tenerife.
Imágenes de la huelga llevada a cabo por trabajadores del sector turístico este jueves en la provincia de Santa Cruz de Tenerife. En este caso, protesta en el sur de Tenerife. #actualidad
— RTVC (@RTVCes) April 17, 2025
📸Alba Grillo pic.twitter.com/qVMH6NJJKf
While the Canary Islands Department of Tourism and Employment has laid out minimum hospitality service levels for the Easter weekend to attempt to guarantee guests are greeted at receptions, and that cleaners and concierges are covered, as well as restaurant provision. However, these minimum service requirements have been condemned as anti-strike measures by the CCCO union behind the industrial action, so it remains unclear what situation exactly vacationers will face.
As always, air passengers and hotel guests are urged to check the situation regarding their booking with airlines, airports, tour operators, and accommodation providers.
