UK flight delays warning amid cabin crew and pilot strike

Passengers have been warned to prepare for potential delays and cancellations of their holidays due to 24-hour strike called by pilots and cabin crew.

Wizz Air pilots and cabin crew have announced a 24-hour strike on Friday, November 29, which may cause chaos for passengers . According to the Italian Ministry of Transport website, the Italian pilots and cabin crew will walkout from midnight on November 29 until midnight on the November 30.

But Whizz Air, which flies from London to Italy, says they are not expecting any disruption to UK flights. A spokesman for Wizz Air said: "It is incorrect that Wizz Air has issued a travel warning about this. Previous action did not cause any disruptions in the UK, and we are currently not expecting any disruption on the 29th November. Passengers should head to the airport as normal. We are continuing to monitor the situation, and should the situation change, we will inform any passengers directly if that’s needed.”

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However, Anton Radchenko, CEO of travel compensation experts AirAdvisor is warning all passengers flying via the airline that weekend, that their travel plans are likely to be impacted.

He said: "There’s a strong possibility that staff shortages caused by the strikes will result in Wizz flights to Italy being delayed on Friday November 29th and this disruption could spill over into Saturday and potentially even Sunday due to the nature of these kind of walkouts.

“To put it simply - planes need pilots and cabin crews to leave the ground, so when these staff strike airlines have to draw-in personnel from elsewhere in their network, which isn’t always straightforward. Multiple flights being disrupted can have a damaging ripple effect on other services, as one flight missing its departure slot can they cause others taking off later than planned.

“If you’re flying with Wizz on the 29th or in the days that follow, make sure you regularly check for updates on the Wizz website, as well as the airport’s.

“Similar strikes in the past have caused airlines network-wide cancellations, so be prepared delays and cancellations to your flight with little notice, on the 29th. If you find yourself in a position where your flight is delayed over two hours, the airline must provide you with food and drink vouchers to make your delay more comfortable.

“When flights are cancelled with less than two weeks warning, you may be due up for £520 in compensation for the inconvenience, depending on the distance of your journey. Use a compensation calculator to figure out exactly what you might be owed, and file a claim as quickly as possible.

“Also, in the event of a cancellation, Wizz would be obliged to provide you with alternative travel to your destination and this could be a seat on another airline."

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