Reissector warns: « Strike wave is in danger of tens of thousands of families »
The four strikes this year have already cost the travel sector 22.5 million euros and at least two strikes are planned. If this continues, the travel professionals are no longer able to meet the legal financial criteria and they are forced to close their business, with the associated impact on employment. This only concerns the financial impact on the travel agencies and travel organizers. The impact on the airlines and airports is not included in this. That is downright irresponsible, according to the Association of Flemish Travel Agencies (VVR).
Frustration
Dozens of Flemish people did not get home on Monday due to the large electricnean in Spain and Portugal. And even today a number of them are still stuck, they let us know. This time through the strike in our country. If there are no departing flights, Brussels Airport announced on Monday afternoon that all departing flights were being canceled, there are no planes to bring travelers back home from their destinations. So that many passengers come home with a delay. « Strikers take our hard -earned vacation days, » says Mia from Barcelona.
The frustration at travelers is increasing visibly, we notice the reactions of readers.
Marc lets us know that he left for Sorrento (Naples) to take his honeymoon from 48 years ago. But they didn’t get any further than the Sheraton hotel at Zaventem airport on Monday evening.
« Due to unforeseen circumstances, the store will be closed for an extra day, » said Tuesday on the door of Broodwikel Soens in Heule. They were on holiday in Spain and are forced to return with a delay. First there was the PowerNepanne. And when there was electricity again, it was already 4 o’clock in the morning. And so the strike had started in Belgium.
Read too. Powerne and Strike Day Bakkerskoppel are severely affecting: “We have to disappoint our customers«
The Flemish Travel Agencies (VVR) Association warns that the continuing and chaotic strike wave of trade unions jeopardizes the holidays of tens of thousands of Belgian families. « Not only by taking a hard -earned vacation days, but also by putting the operation of travel sector at stake, » says Koen van den Bosch, managing director of the VVR, which represents more than 600 travel companies in Flanders and Brussels.
« The past ‘national’ strike days the sector cost a lot of money. This financial damage goes directly from the margin of the travel agencies and travel organizers, » says Koen van den Bosch. “Door een strenge pakketreizenwet beschikken onze erkende reisbureaus en reisorganisatoren wel over een stevige financiële buffer, zodat vakantiegangers zonder zorgen op reis kunnen gaan. Maar aan alles zijn er grenzen. Indien deze onverantwoorde stakingsgolf aanhoudt, dreigt de solvabiliteit van reisbureaus en reisorganisatoren niet langer aan de wettelijke vereisten te voldoen en moeten zij mogelijk – tijdelijk – hun activiteiten pauzeren, met alle gevolgen That is downright outrageous, « it sounds.
Brussels Airport
In the meantime, airlines do what they can do to get their passengers to their destination as quickly as possible. Brussels Airport expects 80,000 travelers at the airport on Wednesday, the day after the action of the trade unions. That is 8,000 more than initially planned. The airport asks travelers to certainly be on time. In advance online check -in is also a good idea, it sounds.
