The Home Secretary has warned of “severe disruption” at UK airports around Christmas owing to planned strikes by border staff.
Suella Braverman advised individuals to “seriously consider” their plans because “they may very possibly be affected.”
Six airports will experience strikes from December 23 to Christmas Day and from December 28 to New Year’s Eve.
The strikes occur during one of the peak travel periods and coincide with train and rail worker walkouts.
Since 2019, this is the first holiday season in which airlines have been able to operate without widespread Covid restrictions.
Cirium, an aviation analytics company, predicts that up to two million passengers would arrive between December 23 and December 31 at airports where strikes will occur.
More than 10,000 flights are expected to arrive at Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and Glasgow airports throughout the period, according to the report.
Approximately 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, including those who work in passport control, are engaging in industrial action after the Home Office granted staff a 2% pay increase as opposed to the 10% they wanted.
Thursday, Ms. Braverman declared: “If they proceed with these strikes, there will be undeniable, significant disruption to the vacation plans of tens of thousands of people.
“I strongly urge persons with international travel intentions to reconsider their itineraries because they could be affected”
She continued, “It’s quite sad that they’ve chosen to potentially strike during crucial moments leading up to and following Christmas and New Year’s.”
But PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka stated: “If the government puts money on the table, these strikes may be stopped the following day.
“Our members, like so many other workers, are struggling with the rising cost of living. They are hopeless.”
If the walkouts proceed, the administration said it would deploy military soldiers to help minimize disruptions.
But travel expert Simon Calder said: “This does not make up for the decades of expertise and experience that Border Force personnel possess, therefore lines will continue to grow.
“Once this occurs, passengers may be detained on planes to avoid long lines in the arrivals area. When this occurs, planes are unable to take off with additional passengers, delays accumulate, and diversions and cancellations commence.”
It is anticipated that disruptions will mostly affect travelers traveling into the United Kingdom.
The Times said that airlines were told to cancel up to 30 percent of flights over the eight days of strikes to avert airport disruptions.
A representative for Airlines UK, which represents the industry, stated, “We urge all parties to achieve an agreement to prevent the necessity for strike action during such a crucial time of year for travelers.
According to a source from the aviation industry, a letter sent by the Border Force to airports last week stated that, based on preliminary modeling, it would be possible to run approximately 80% of 2019’s flying levels during strike action.
However, it is believed that several airlines had already planned to operate at this capacity level because they had not yet returned to pre-Covid levels.
Jet2 stated, “We would want to inform our customers and industry partners that we aim to run our full schedule of flights during the holiday season, including during the periods of strike action.”
Virgin Atlantic will “continue to engage closely with government and business to promote contingency planning and minimize disruptions,” according to a company representative.
They said, “Our top concern over the holiday season is supporting our clients’ travel arrangements and keeping them apprised of any potential disruptions at the border.”
Heathrow Airport stated that its “goal is to ensure that travelers cross the border as fast and safely as possible.”
These plans will now be implemented on the specified days.
A representative for Gatwick stated: “We are sorry that Border Patrol agents have opted to go on strike at this time.
“We anticipate normal flight operations and will maintain constant contact with Border Force regarding their mitigation efforts. On strike days, additional airport personnel will be made available to assist with passenger welfare.”
Commenting on what travelers can do, Mr. Calder stated that according to European air passenger rights regulations, the airline “has a clear duty to deliver you to your destination as quickly as possible, even if that means purchasing a ticket on another airline.”
He then stated: “There are simply no seats available at this time. At this point, all that can be done is to hope for the best.”
