Travel disruption for thousands due to transport strikes

From the Thames to the Aegean, travellers face cancellation and disruption

French air-traffic controllers previously went on a two-day strike in April (Getty Images)

From the Thames to the Aegean, travellers face cancellation and disruption on Wednesday due to strikes by transport workers.

Dozens of flights to and from Greece have been delayed or cancelled because of a four-hour stoppage by air-traffic controllers, starting at noon UK time.

Travel chaos across Europe avoided
French air-traffic controllers strike Q&A

The main Greek airline, Aegean, cancelled 19 flights and warned that others would be disrupted - mostly postponed to avoid the strike period.

Britain’s biggest budget airline, easyJet, warned: “We are expecting severe disruption throughout the day. We are doing everything possible to minimise the impact to our customers, but unfortunately we will have to cancel some flights.”

Boris Johnson shows how to get into work in a Tube strike
What has industrial action actually ever achieved?
Tube strike weather

British Airways axed a Heathrow-Athens-Heathrow pair of flights, but hopes to accommodate passengers on other departures.

Thomas Cook Airlines is asking its pilots to fly faster than normal in order to dodge the impact of the strike on three of its holiday flights. A spokesman for the airline said: “We'll largely maintaining our current schedules but will use high-speed flight plans to protect customers from its impacts.”

The controllers are taking the action in protest over pay and changes to working conditions.

Better to work from home? Employees wait to get onto a bus (PA)

Travellers seeking to reach Europe’s busiest airport will have their options limited from 6.30pm tonight and all day tomorrow because of the strike by Tube workers unhappy with arrangements for all-night services. The Piccadilly Line to Heathrow’s three stations will, like all London Underground services, be suspended until Friday morning. National Express is laying on extra coach services to help meet the expected extra demand.

One bright spot is that cross-Channel services are operating normally from both Dover and Folkestone to Calais. Yesterday Eurotunnel passengers experienced delays of up to four hours because of what was called an “unplanned tunnel inspection”.