lincasanova - Thank you so much for your responses!! I guess I'm just a worrywort.

or worrywart.

Im sooooo onto Aerlingus first thing Monday morning , Such a mare , cant even enjoy a beer while packing now :) ... Last holiday to Nice thought we would not get there due to ash cloud , IM so staying here from now on :) ...

The latest posts are correct. The actual effect is unknown and there will be no sensible update to this. The last Spanish General strike was ineffective - but some views have hardened. The latest news is that 40% of international flights will be unaffected so not all Air traffic controllers will be out. How many baggage handlers etc. are available will be another matter. It appears that the best policy would be to carry on as normal and let the airlines and travel agents sort out any delays or diversions. Also check your travel insurance to ensure that you are covered for general strike action.

lincasanova - My wife called the airline. She was told that the aircraft for our flight does not originate in BCN. So she got more information than I could -- she's much more diplomatic than me. So, that's one "if" we don't have to worry about (if the CSR is to be believed). Thanks.

Irishal, you should get onto them as soon as you can. Maybe they have their Customer Service open today sunday ... As Lin has said, there has been rescheduling in various airlines, and Iberia is allowing changes, and Easyjet is also allowing for free changes within the following 5 days.
It would be bad police on their side not to allow you to reschedule for another day ...

Good luck, and let us know ...

Cova

We had to cancel our trip to spain (leaving yesterday) because of my dad's sudden illness. I was just going to have to write off the nonrefundable Vueling Air intracountry flight from BCN to Seville on 9/29 when just this morning, I received a notice from Vueling offering me either a full refund or an alternate flight. Needless to say I took the refund...it appears that the domestic carriers know something the international ones do not!

Just got back from Andalucia Wednesday and witnessed peaceful rallies for a "Huelga General" on Sept 29th when I was in Seville and Granada the following week. I was on a walking tour in Granada and the tour operator said that it was going to be a big general strike because the Spaniards were upset with their economy and is blaming the government for this. She even said she wasn't sure if the Alhambra will be open for that day.

My SIL was just told by AA that she must re-book between Oct 2 and 8th.

Under European law who is responsible for the extra expanses of staying in Spain?

Thanks.

The latest update is that there will be widespead disruption. The Unions and Government have not agreed levels of public and International transport. They were supposed to have 25% of public transport working with an emphasis on "rush hour" and up to 40% of International air traffic.
However, there appears to be no agreement at this point in time. The Unions are pushing for large rallies in the major cities and it looks as though many businesses will close for the day. If you are in Spain, avoid the major city centres. If you are due to fly, contact your airline. If you need to contact the Spanish Airport Authority (AENA) their number is (+34)902 404 704 or check their website http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite?pagename=Home (It's in English or Spanish).

Sorry, my last message was wrong. The Unions and Government HAVE agreed that between 20% - 40% of International flights will operate and 25% of train services (rising to 30% during Rush Hour) will run. All other advice remains as stated

Thanks Cova , will do ..

Just off the phone with Aerlingus , there is a big mgmt meeting this afternoon and they may reschedule flights Free Of Charge , heres hopin , ILL keep yis posted ..

I havea question
If your flight lands how would you get to and from the airport?
The answer is with a great deal of difficulty, if at all.
It would be better for you to have the flight rescheduled.

In the recent French strikes, my airline had a flight blocked because the refueling service was on strike. They had to wait 8 hours to get service.

At the moment to resch our flights it is costing 350 euro .... that is not an option for us , hoping Aerlingus will reschedule free of charge ..

Our nonstop on DL to BCN on the 29th is still showing as OK, and we received the same response when we phoned them. Even if our flight does do, we are concerned about packing plans and would appreciate input. For the two of us, we've packed one carry-one and were planning to check one bag. However, now we're wondering if the low %age of baggage handlers and other airport personnel will cause such a back-up and confusion that "delayed" luggage will have good chances of becoming "lost". Our thinking was that we could do without our one piece of luggage for a few days. We didn't want to be saddled with carrying too much around the airport and/or possibly lugging a lot should we have to rely on scant public transportion to our hotel. We do have a private transfer scheduled, but who knows? We're now thinking seriously about more paring down of our stuff and taking another carry-on, eliminating the checked bag. If anyone has any guesses, ideas, about the risks of checking luggage vs. the inconvenience of hauling extra stuff around, we'd appreciate your thoughts.

FedEx your stuff or downsize.

Aerlingus have rescheduled our flight free of ..we fly out tomorrow , Really delighted with this outcome , Advice to all flying out 29th , DEMAND your airline to change your flight ...best of luck , I am bringing extra food supplies etc as believe it will be like no-mans land on Wed.

Thanks to all and best of luck ...

tomarkot, I don't know why Delta is holding firm, what kind of explanation do they give you? I have read about people flying in AA and Iberia, having their flights changed with no charge, and as mentioned on this thread other airlines are doing the same.

In any event I strongly suggest you only bring carry on. When I had the bad experience of the bagagge handlers strike in Barcelona I made the mistake of checking my suitcases and it took a couple of days to get them. And I was lucky, there were people that had their suitcases lost for weeks and some forever!