Spain's Air Traffic Controllers strike began on April 17th at midnight and is due to affect works employed by Saerco at Madrid-Cuatro Vientos, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Castellón, Burgos, Huesca, Ciudad Real, Vigo, A Coruña, Jerez and Seville airports.
Unions have indicated that walkouts are indefinite until air traffic controllers' demands are met. They ultimately want the company to hire more staff. Representatives emphasise that their demands "are not economic in nature," as they are not requesting salary increases or more vacation time, but rather "an increase in staffing levels to guarantee operational safety”.
At the same time, more stoppages are taking place by Groundforce employees at airports in Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Málaga, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Bilbao.
These are also indefinite, and are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in three time slots: from 5 am to 7 am, from 11 am to 5 pm and from 10 pm to midnight. For two days last Wednesday April 8th and Friday 10th, unions agreed to pause strikes, but negotiations are still ongoing.
So far, they have caused dozens of delays, extra-long queues and baggage not being unloaded from flights.
READ ALSO: Air traffic controllers call strikes at 14 airports in Spain
So, what rights do you have and what should you do if your flight is delayed because of the strikes?
According to Regulation (EC) 261/2004, a flight is delayed "if its effective departure time is deferred from the scheduled departure time by more than two hours or arrives at the final destination three or more hours after the scheduled arrival time", and this has not been previously changed in the flight schedule.
If this happens, you are entitled to information and assistance, as well as sufficient food and drink, two telephone calls or access to email.
If an overnight stay is necessary, you will also be entitled to hotel accommodation and transportation between the airport and your accommodation.
If the airline fails to fulfil its obligation to provide the above free of charge, the passenger should keep receipts for any expenses incurred in order to claim reimbursement from the airline at a later date.
If the delay is five hours or more, you have the right to decide not to travel. In that case, you will be entitled to a full refund of the ticket price within seven days. On the other hand, if you do decide to travel and you arrive at your final destination two or more hours after the arrival time initially scheduled by the airline, you will be entitled to compensation.
The amount you receive could be anywhere between €125-€600 depending on the length of the scheduled flight, the length of the delay and when you arrive.
What if my flight was cancelled, not just delayed?
If your flight is cancelled because of the stoppages and it occurs close to the flight's original departure time, Article 9 of the European regulations states that the airline must offer affected passengers "sufficient food and refreshments", hotel accommodation in the event that an alternative flight has been chosen (and it's on a different day), and transfer from the airport to the hotel.
The traveller is also entitled to a full refund of the ticket price, which must be issued within a maximum of seven days.
Depending on the flight distance, the notice given for the cancellation, and the alternatives offered by the airline, passengers may also be entitled to additional financial compensation of similar amounts to above.
You can also claim additional compensation for other damages arising from the cancellation, if you can prove them.
Be aware, if your flight is cancelled due to other reasons, such as the weather for example, which is beyond the airline's control, it will not be subject to the same rules and you won't be offered the same compensation. In this case, you must speak with the airline to see what can be done and what you're entitled to.
How can I avoid delays?
While you can't actually control whether your flight is delayed or not, you can control what time you arrive at the airport and the type of baggage you bring, as these could cause extra waiting times or more stress.
Passengers to and from all the affected airports should leave extra time and contact their airlines in advance. They are also being urged to only take carry-on luggage so they don't experience delays with baggage handlers too.
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