By Sophie-May Williams

Copyright metro

September strikes are set to take place across some of Europe’s most popular hotspots (Picture: Getty/Metro)

October is the peak of shoulder season — the transitional period between peak and off-peak — where there are fewer crowds and more affordable flights and accommodation.

It’s also a time when unbearable 40°C in hotspots like Seville and Lisbon shift to more comfortable temperatures.

Families without kids, or those with children outside of school age, prefer to travel during this time, too, as it allows them to soak up the last of the summer sun without overspending.

However, travellers heading to popular European countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands this month should double-check their bookings.

European travel could be disrupted in the next few weeks (Picture: Getty Images)

Several strikes have been confirmed, including here on home soil at one major UK airport.

Worried about your holiday? The Metro Travel team has rounded up all the strikes set to take place from now until the end of the month, and beyond.

Passengers travelling through Bournemouth Airport could face disruption as workers are set to go on strike for four days.

The action is due to take place on 30 September, 1 October, 16 October and 17 October.

Around 80 members of the Unite trade union, who work in different areas of the airport, including baggage handling, check-in, flight dispatching and plane fuelling, will walk out after they rejected a new pay offer.

Bournemouth Airport serves over 950,000 passengers a year, with flights to 34 destinations across Europe and North Africa, most operated by airlines such as TUI and Ryanair.

However, an airport spokesperson has confirmed that contingency plans are in place and there should be minimal disruption.

Passengers due to travel on these dates are advised that the airport expects to operate a full schedule as normal.

Jet2 has issued a warning to travellers heading to Greece this week, due to a nationwide strike that could immobilise the country’s transport system for 24 hours.

The general strike, led by the ADEDY union, involves air traffic controllers and public sector workers. They are protesting new government labour reforms that threaten to legalise 13-hour workdays and impose harsher disciplinary rules and fines on employees.

The strike will take place on October 1, and could affect buses, trains, cruise departures, and transfers to and from airports, even in cities like Athens.

As it stands, Jet2 operates in 14 Greek airports – Athens (all-year round), Corfu, Chania (Crete), Heraklion (Crete), Kefalonia, Halkidiki, Kos, Kalamata, Lesvos, Preveza, Rhodes, Skiathos, Santorini and Zante.

Ryanair and easyJet also fly several of these routes.

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Jet2 advises anyone heading off in the coming days to check the website at least 12 hours before their flight for the latest updates.

A statement from the airline says: ‘We are currently monitoring a planned General Strike in Greece that is due to take place on October 1 and may impact Greek Air Traffic Control, local taxi and ferry services.

‘Flights operating to/from Greece may be affected during this strike action, however, we are planning to operate all Jet2.com flights as planned so please arrive at the airport on time.

‘You don’t need to contact us or take any extra actions – we will continue to monitor this strike action and publish any updates here on our website.’

The Netherlands

After two warning strikes over the past few weeks, which each saw around 100 flights cancelled, KLM ground staff are gearing up for more strikes in the coming days.

Workers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport – one of the world’s largest airports – are set to strike for six hours from 6am to 2pm on October 1.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is one of the biggest in the world (Picture: Getty Images)

The strike, organised by the FNV and CNV unions, is being held amid concerns for the salaries of 14,000 ground staff — the employees responsible for loading and unloading baggage, moving aircraft on the tarmac and assisting passengers with boarding.

The unions argue that ground workers deserve pay rises and are losing out to others in the industry.

For context, KLM recently reached agreements with other unions that promised increases for pilots and board members.

Tomorrow’s walkout alone is expected to cost the airline in the region of €10 million.

Remember to check the status of your flight before heading to the airport.

The October 1 strike isn’t necessarily the end of the road, either. Both unions have said they are prepared to escalate action until KLM delivers what they want.

On September 18, the main French air traffic control union, SNCTA, had planned a 24-hour strike driven by calls for wages to be adjusted in line with inflation.

The SNCTA represents around 60 per cent of France’s air traffic controllers, and is the largest ATC union in the country.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou has been ousted in a confidence vote after only nine months as prime minister (Picture: Getty Images)

The union said in an August statement: ‘For several years now, air traffic control governance has been characterised by mistrust, punitive practices and degrading management methods. It is clear that this fruitless dialogue is now blocking any prospect of progress and reform.’But, due to the recent collapse of the French government, where Prime Minister Francois Bayrou received a vote of no confidence in Parliament, the strike was cancelled.

Instead, a longer strike is planned from Tuesday, October 7, to Friday, October 10. It will mostly affect airlines that operate flights in and out of French airports.

The SNCTA said the September walkout is ‘no longer compatible with the possibility of achieving demands due to a lack of interlocutors.’ They also said it would be ‘impossible to achieve demands at the ministerial level.’

Travellers should be prepared for severe delays and cancellations.

Ryanair will be one of the major airlines affected, as many flights are routed through French airspace.

Ahead of the September strikes, Michael O’Leary’s low-cost carrier warned that up to 700 flights and more than 125,000 passengers were at risk of having their trips cancelled.

EasyJet, British Airways, Vueling, Lufthansa, Air France — and many other European airlines — also face disruptions on flights that pass through French airspace.

To protect holiday travel, strikes are banned during the peak summer season from late July to early September.

But now that the window is over, it’s fair game. On September 26, a 24-hour walkout paralysed Italian air travel, as several aviation strikes took place at once.

Organised by the transport union CUB Trasporti, baggage handlers, ground staff, and crew with the Spanish carrier Volotea and Wizz Air Malta downed tools.

Ryanair maintains that travellers won’t be affected (Picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

Security staff at Sardinia’s Cagliari Elmas Airport also walked out for 24 hours.

Milan’s Malpensa and Linate airports were the hardest hit, with dozens of flights delayed and cancelled.

The strikes are a response to disputes over working conditions, staffing levels across Italy’s transport sector, and pay disagreements.

Last week, cities across Italy ground to a standstill as workers staged a sweeping general strike in support of Gaza.

Railway, port and local public transport networks were severely disrupted until 11pm, across several cities including Rome, Naples, and Milan.

The Portuguese strikes were shaping up to be more complex, as they were due to continue periodically for the rest of the year and into January 2026.

But in good news for travellers, the 76-day action by Menzies Aviation ground staff has just been called off.

On Thursday, the workers voted to cancel the strike, saying the imposed minimum service requirements made it impossible to exercise their right to strike effectively.

They had been calling for increased pay, better working conditions, employee parking, and night shift compensation. Plus, fulfilment of previously agreed working terms.

@skyscanner If you’re travelling to Portugal soon, there could be strikes that may impact your trip. Here’s what you need to know: Baggage handlers at major airports including Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Madeira and the Azores are threatening to strike every weekend from September 3rd to mid-December. Extra strikes are also planned for Christmas and New Year from December 19th to January 2nd 2026. What does this mean for travellers? If the strikes go ahead you should expect delays at baggage claim, particularly if you’re travelling on a Friday through to Monday. If you’re travelling to Portugal soon, we recommend checking with your airline before you fly to see if you might encounter delays. It’s a good idea to allow some extra time for your delays and also potentially consider flying midweek to avoid strike days. #Portugal #PortugalStrikes #PortugalAirportStrikes #EuropeTravel ♬ Beat – beaty

The industrial action had been called by SIMA (the Union of Metal and Related Industries) and STA (the Transport Union), targeting Menzies (formerly Groundforce), the company responsible for ground handling services at Portuguese airports.

However, Portugal’s Arbitration Court, under the Economic and Social Council, ruled that minimum service levels had to be maintained.

SIMA hit back, calling the decision a ‘real attack on the right to strike of Portuguese workers in general and of that company in particular’.

Azul Handling, the company that provides ground handling services to Ryanair Group airlines at several Spanish airports, have been striking since August 15.

Azul Handling are campaigning for better pay and working conditions (Picture: Getty Images)

Over 3,000 workers in Spain began campaigning for increased pay, better working conditions, job security, and medical leave. Disputes with overtime were brought up, too.

Staff will stage strikes from 5am to 9am every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December 31.

Canarian Weekly has said Ryanair’s 12 Spanish bases will be affected: Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Sevilla, Tenerife South, and Valencia.

The outlet said that while the airports aren’t officially part of the strikes, schedules could experience knock-on delays and cancellations.

However, Ryanair insists there will be no disruption to travellers. The airline said: ‘We do not expect any interruption to our operations as a result of these third-party strikes in Spain.’

Metro has contacted Ryanair for comment.

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