UK trade publication Travel Gossip reported on 27 July that Swissport and metal-sector employees at Palma de Mallorca airport will stage staggered stoppages from 28 July through 8 August. The action overlaps with the broader FTA dispute but has its own local demands for improved safety staffing and heat-stress protocols. Tour operators Jet2 Holidays and easyJet Holidays have already emailed clients urging them to travel with carry-on bags only, warning that “checked luggage may not arrive on the same aircraft.” Business travellers heading to summer conferences in Palma Convention Centre are being told to ship exhibition materials via freight forwarders rather than as excess baggage. Under Spanish law, essential flights (inter-island, medical evacuations, and 50 % of international services) must still be handled, but airport throughput is expected to fall by up to 35 % during peak hours. Hotels fear a rash of late-night check-ins and same-day cancellations; some are waiving no-show penalties for bookings that can document flight disruption. Assignment service providers note that rental-car pick-ups at PMI can take two to three hours during strikes. Mobility advisers recommend pre-booking private transfers and allowing buffer days before key client meetings. Employers should also remind staff that re-routing via Barcelona or Valencia may trigger additional Schengen-day usage under the new Entry/Exit System. The Balearic government has opened a hotline (+34 971 17 59 57) to coordinate with airlines and ground-service companies; however, it has ruled out deploying military logistics units unless safety is compromised.
Source: Travel Gossip
