Source: Metro (Story by Alice Murphy)
All departure flights are being cancelled at Belgium’s biggest airports tomorrow due to a nationwide strike over austerity.
The three-day walkout, which affects airports and public transport, is being held in protest at government plans to change labour laws on benefits and pensions to tackle the country’s growing debt.
Despite starting yesterday (Monday, November 24), the strike is set to cause the most chaos to flights on Wednesday, November 26.
Brussels-Zaventem Airport, which is the biggest in Belgium, will cancel all departures and 110 of the 203 incoming flights, a spokesperson told Reuters.
He added that it will be up to airlines to reroute the cancelled flights and that no cancellations are currently expected among the remaining 93 incoming flights.
This affects around 30 flights to the UK, according to SkyRefund, as airlines including BA, easyJet and Brussels Airlines all operate flights there. This means hundreds of passengers will be forced to make alternative arrangements.
Brussels South Charleroi Airport – primarily used by Ryanair – is also being affected by the cancellations. No flights will arrive or depart, according to a statement on the airport’s website.
Flights run to Brussels from several UK airports each day, including London Heathrow (which sees 49 per week, according to FlightRadar24), Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Southend, as well as Manchester, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
Railway services from the national operator, SNCB, will be disrupted for all three days of the strike. Fewer trains will run from 10pm on November 23 until the end of the day on November 26.
Elsewhere, the City of Brussels has warned of ‘disrupted services’ on its public transport links throughout the three days of action. Transport company De Lijn, which operates in Flanders, has advised that there will be ‘fewer bus and tram services’.
Eurostar has also warned of potential disruption, saying some of its international services had suffered delays as a result. This will have a knock-on effect for Brits travelling from London St Pancras.
Several trains were cancelled or delayed yesterday, with more expected today and tomorrow.
The country had already been hit by several strikes since Prime Minister Bart De Wever de Wever, a Flemish nationalist, came to office in February at the head of a centre-right coalition government aiming to cut the budget deficit.
Early on Monday, his government reached a budget agreement which he said was the only way to ‘guarantee the sustainability’ of Belgium’s welfare state.
Defending the action, general workers union FGTB said a demonstration in Brussels two weeks ago had been met with ‘total silence’ from the government.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, UK and EU airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled. This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary.
Citizen’s Advice says that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails and, if they offer you a place to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.
Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airline.
But an airline will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses. The hotel minibar or penthouse suites likely can’t be expensed.
If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. However, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.
When am I eligible for this support?
Whether you’re eligible for the above depends on the distance of your flight and how long you have waited:
For short-haul (up to 1,500km over two hours or less) you must have been waiting for two hours or more.
For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours), three hours or more.
For long-haul (more than 3,500km over four hours or more), four hours or more.
If my flight is cancelled, can I get a refund?
If your flight is covered by UK law, you can choose between either getting your cancelled flight refunded or being booked on an alternative route.
Any part of your ticket you haven’t used is eligible for a refund. So, if you were on a return flight to Heathrow and the outbound leg was cancelled, you can get that part of the journey refunded.
You’ll typically get your money back within a week.
But not everyone is up for being stuck mid-layover. If you still want to travel, your airline must find a way to get you to your destination. This can include, say, if another airline is flying to where you need to go soon or if there’s another form of transport you can take. All at no extra cost.