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ARCHIVED - How will the Vueling airline strike affect flights at Alicante airport?
The low-cost Spanish airline began series of strikes this week that threaten travel plans until the end of January 2023
Spain's transport strike woes continue this week with yet more airline work stoppages as cabin crew with budget airline, Vueling, began a wave of walkouts over a pay dispute that threatens to throw travel plans into disarray until January.
Just days after Ryanair strikes were called off, Spanish airline, Vueling, has announced industrial action on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and public holidays, which started on November 1, with the cancellation of 50 flights, and will last until January 31, 2023. Christmas Eve and the Spanish public holiday on January 5, 2023, will also be affected.
So how will this affect flights at Alicante-Elche airport?
The Stavla Union, which represents Vueling's cabin crew staff, hasn't confirmed exactly which airports will be hardest hit by the stoppages, or how many flights are likely to be cancelled, but has stated that minimum services of between 69% and 72% will be operated at the Costa Blanca's busiest airport.
On Tuesday, as the series of strikes got underway, the low-cost airline cancelled 54 of its 520 scheduled flights nationwide. Four of these affected passengers travelling to and from Alicante airport. In a statement, the firm reported that "flights were operated with a punctuality of 90.43% at Barcelona airport, where it is based, and 88.68% in the rest of the network".
"Vueling's operations continue to run normally and without any incident caused by the cabin crew strike called by the Stavla union," added the airline, although, according to the union, hundreds of passengers were left stranded after their flight was pulled without any advance warning.
Vueling "assures" that "it has offered all customers affected by the cancellations different alternatives that have made it possible to minimise the impact of the strike".
It also claims customers affected by the cancellations are notified in advance and given the option of taking another flight, an alternative means of transport or a ticket refund. "At present 90% of the passengers affected have found a satisfactory solution," said the airline.
Travellers are advised check the status of their flight on the company's website and access their reservation to obtain information on alternative flight options or transport alternatives.
Once again, Vueling has appealed to Stavla to cancel the strikes called over a pay dispute. The union is demanding a 13.4% wage increase this year to "mitigate rising costs".
"The cabin crew collective cannot continue to be immersed in the precarious wage situation in which they find themselves while the company drags out the negotiation of the collective agreement", said the union.
The company has countered that "this is not the time" to divide, but instead to "join forces to build the future of the airline". The airline considers the wage increases demanded by Stavla "unfeasible" arguing it would "mean the loss" of Vueling's competitiveness and could lead to a reduction in the size of the company.
Image: Vueling.eu
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