Workers at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are set to walk out over the coming weeks, and will now be joined by thousands of Border Force officials after the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) on Wednesday (7 December) announced eight days of strike action over the Christmas period.
Speaking at Abta’s Travel Matters seminar on Tuesday (6 December), Airport Operators Association policy director Christopher Snelling and Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade agreed that with passenger numbers still below pre-pandemic levels, airports would hold up under the strain.
Border Force workers at six major UK airports – Birmingham, Cardiff, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow and Manchester – will walk out over 23-26 December and again over 28-31 December, the PCS union confirmed. Airports, including Manchester, have warned of delays and cancellations.
“These newly announced strikes, the ongoing rail strikes and the general disruption to services across the UK, is going to cause chaos for those travelling over Christmas," said Lo Bue-Said. "This latest round of strikes could mean the return of travel chaos we saw when covid restrictions were lifted and there weren’t enough staff to cope with demand for international travel.
"Christmas is an incredibly busy time for holiday makers and international travellers and these strikes will impact their plans and damage consumer confidence in the already suffering travel industry.
"Unions are clearly trying to do what’s best for their members, but in the meantime hardworking people are trying to go about their daily lives, whether that’s for business or personal reasons, and facing no end of disruption. We urge the government to work with unions to get these issues resolved as soon as possible."
