More than 50,000 passengers booked on peak summer holiday flights have been told their trips have been cancelled. Ryanair has cancelled “up to 300” flights in response to coordinated 48-hour strikes by cabin crew in Belgium, Portugal and Spain on Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 July. The staff are unhappy about a range of pay and conditions issues. Most of the cancelled flights are to, from and within Spain, where around a quarter of the carrier’s 830 daily services have been grounded. “Up to 50” flights starting or ending in Portugal and Belgium have been cancelled. The airline said: “All affected customers have been offered re-accommodation on alternative flights during the seven days prior to 25/26 July, or the seven days after. “Alternatively, these customers can obtain a full refund of their airfares.” Ryanair’s customer service director, Bill Hutchinson, told passengers whose flights were cancelled: “We have continued our efforts over recent days to avert this strike and the disruptions it will cause, including our many invitations to cabin crew unions to meet with us to resolve their issues. “However despite these extensive efforts on our part to avert these disruptions, the unions have continued to assert that they expect the strike to go ahead. “We will defend our low fare business model because it is what gives our customers what they want more than anything else – the lowest fares in Europe.” ✕ Ryanair Strike: Simon Calder explains when and why pilots are taking industrial action Passengers whose flights are cancelled while they are on holiday are entitled to hotels and meals until the airline can get them home. If no Ryanair flight is available on the intended day of travel or the next day, the airline must buy a ticket on another airline, if there is space available. Ryanair announced in December it would recognise trade unions. A group called Cabin Crew United is coordinating the strike through the International Transport Workers’ Federation. A spokesperson said: “Ryanair has yet to provide any concrete improvement in pay and conditions for any workers across its network. Recommended Unhappy Ryanair workers have reached a tipping point “It is clear that Ryanair has a long way to go before it wins a reputation as a good employer.” Cabin crew have issued a list of 34 demands, ranging from “predictable working hours” to “not being forced to open an Irish bank account”. Italian cabin crew have threatened to strike on Wednesday 25 July and Ryanair has yet to respond. The airline’s chief marketing officer, Kenny Jacobs, said: “Ryanair sincerely apologises to our customers for these disruptions, which we have done our utmost to avoid. 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The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near King’s Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters UK news in pictures 18 April 2021 Stephen Maguire (right) of Scotland interacts with Jamie Jones of Wales during day 2 of the Betfred World Snooker Championships 2021 at The Crucible, Sheffield PA UK news in pictures 17 April 2021 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin, covered with His Royal Highness’s Personal Standard arrives by Landrover Defender at St George’s Chapel carried by a bearer party found by the Royal Marines during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle Getty Images UK news in pictures 16 April 2021 Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, checks the teeth of "Dentosaurus" during a visit to the Thornliebank Dental Care centre in Glasgow, as she campaigns ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 April 2021 Myanmar's former ambassador to the UK, Kyaw Zwar Minn, outside his residence in north west London. The ambassador has been barred from entering the Myanmar embassy in Mayfair after he was removed from office PA UK news in pictures 14 April 2021 People take part in coronavirus surge testing on Clapham Common, south London. Thousands of residents have queued up to take coronavirus tests at additional facilities set up after new cases of the South African variant were found in two south London boroughs. 44 confirmed cases of the variant have been found in Lambeth and Wandsworth, with a further 30 probable cases identified PA UK news in pictures 13 April 2021 The core of the Milky Way becomes visible in the early hours of Tuesday morning as it moves over Bamburgh Lighthouse at stag Rock in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 12 April 2021 Rebecca Richardson (left) and Genevieve Florence, members of the Aquabatix synchronised swimming team, during a practice session in the swimming pool at Clissold Leisure Centre in north London, which has reopened to the public.<doc-sep>More than 4,000 passengers booked to fly on Ryanair between Ireland and the UK on Friday, 20 July, have been told their flights have been cancelled by a pilots’ strike. Europe’s biggest budget airline has grounded 24 flights across the Irish Sea. Around 100 pilots employed by Ryanair in Dublin who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) are in dispute about seniority, annual leave arrangements and transfers of flight crew between bases. Last Thursday, 12 July, 30 flights were cancelled in the first strike. The links to be cancelled are believed to be some of those connecting Dublin with Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted. Ryanair says it has sought to minimise the impact on Irish families “travelling on holiday to Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Greece,” instead cancelling “high-frequency routes from Ireland to London and other UK province destinations where customers can transfer readily to other flights”. It is offering refunds or free transfer to alternative flights on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or subsequent days. Passengers whose flights are cancelled and who have to stay overnight as a result are entitled to accommodation and meals until Ryanair can get them to their destination – possibly on Aer Lingus or Flybe. The airline says that anyone planning to travel between the UK and Ireland who has not been notified about a cancellation should assume that their flight will operate as normal. Ryanair describes the pilots as enjoying “the best working conditions of perhaps any group of Irish workers,” and has alleged the pilots’ demands were “drafted by a tiny handful of Aer Lingus pilots”. A spokesperson for IALPA said: “To date, not enough progress has been made in talks to suspend the industrial action. We have no quarrel with Ryanair’s customers, this is an action of last resort.” Another stoppage by the union’s members working for Ryanair is planned for Tuesday 24 July. The IALPA spokesperson said: “As of today Friday’s action looks certain, next Tuesday’s action remains likely.” Cabin crew working for Ryanair in Spain, Portugal and Belgium say they will stage 48-hour strikes on 25 and 26 July, while their colleagues in Italy will stop work for 24 hours on 25 July. They have a list of 34 demands. But the airline says: “Ryanair has not received any formal notification of such strike action.“ A threatened strike by Italian aviation workers for Saturday has been called off.<doc-sep>
Ryanair has warned staff planning a summer of strikes that efforts to secure improved pay and working conditions could put their jobs at risk, as it reported a 20% decline in first-quarter profit. The no-frills airline continues to grow rapidly, reporting a 7% increase in passenger numbers to 37.6 million that pushed revenue up 9% to nearly €2.1bn (£1.86bn). However, soaring costs during the three-month period meant that after-tax profit slumped by 20% to €319m, sending its shares down as much as 5% in early trading. The Dublin-based carrier blamed falling profits on factors including high fuel prices, overcapacity and labour disputes that it admitted were likely to continue over the peak summer period. In a statement to the stock market, the airline warned staff that they could be made redundant if it cuts back operations in response to the disruption, which has resulted in 600 flights being cancelled already. “If these unnecessary strikes continue to damage customer confidence and forward prices/yields in certain country markets then we will have to review our winter schedule, which may lead to fleet reductions at disrupted bases and job losses in markets where competitor employees are interfering in our negotiations with our people and their unions,” it said. “We cannot allow our customers’ flights to be unnecessarily disrupted by a tiny minority of pilots.” However, the International Transport Workers’ Federation, a trade union umbrella group acting on behalf of cabin crew, said Ryanair had been slow to recognise staff’s concerns. “After the big announcement that they’d recognise unions and change human resources policy, progress has been slow and the style has been much the same,” the ITF civil aviation secretary, Gabriel Mocho Rodríguez, said. “They’ve changed practices slowly but not their mindset. Instead of honest and fruitful dialogue, they’re thinking about the best way of blackmailing the unions to take them where they want. “This is unacceptable and explains the difficulties workers are having.” Ryanair’s tussle with cabin crew and pilots has lasted for months, with strikes due this week in important European markets, including Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The aviation analyst Gerald Khoo, of stockbroker Liberum Capital, said further cancellations would weigh on revenues by driving down average fares. “When there are strikes, they move passengers on to other flights and into seats that would have been sold at higher prices at the last minute,” he said. But he added that it was in Ryanair’s interest to hold firm against union demands, in order to protect the low-cost model that gives it an advantage over rivals. “They’re willing to endure industrial action because they need the right deals for the long term. “Efficient working practices are why prices are so low, so they’re trying to make sure their advantage in terms of efficiency and productivity persists.” Ryanair, which employs 14,000 people, also blamed its falling profits on fuel prices and staff pay rises introduced earlier this year amid previous rounds of negotiation with pilots and crew. It said fuel was up from $50 a barrel last year to $80, an increase that was likely to cost the company €430m over the course of the year. Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDesk In a statement accompanying its results, the airline also issued a warning about the prospect of a “no-deal” Brexit, in which the UK leaves the European Union without an agreement on matters such as trade, increasingly likely. “We remain concerned by the danger of a hard (“no-deal”) Brexit in March 2019,” it said. “While there is a view that a 21-month transition agreement from March 2019 to December 2020 will be implemented (and extended), recent events in the UK political sphere have added to this uncertainty and we believe that the risk of a hard Brexit is being underestimated.”