Advice if you're flying this week

With the Spanish Air Traffic Control strikes underway this week, ABTA has produced some helpful advice for those travelling on the affected days - click here to see for yourself.

Check the affect of the Spanish ATC action before you travel

Major flight disruption over Spain this week

This week sees the pre-announced strike action by Spanish Air Traffic Controllers, their first in 26 years.

Eight two hour strikes will take place over 4 days in the coming week, with disruption likely not just in Spain but also affecting neighbouring air space.

Spanish tourist organisations have been booking thousands of hotel rooms to accommodate stranded passengers. Strikes are due on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday.

The strike action was called as a result of sanctions taken against 61 air traffic controllers who shut Barcelona's air space in 2010.

To read more about the action click here.

This could be a rare view over Spain this week

French Air Traffic Controllers strike results in cancellations

It only seems recently that the French Air Traffic controllers were on strike, but they're at it again resulting in many hundreds of flights being cancelled to and from the UK both today and tomorrow.

Lets hope that whatever is causing the problem gets sorted out soon.

For Ryanair's take on the situation click here.

This could be a rare sight over French skies for the next few days

Strike Number 10 at Lufthansa

Believe it or not strike number 10 by the Lufthansa Pilots is about top start.

Scheduled to run between 02:00 & 22:59 GMT on Thursday, almost half of their long haul and cargo flights will this time be affected.

Lufthansa have published how they believe flights will be affected tomorrow - click here

Every cloud has a silver lining?

Every cloud has a silver lining?

According to reports Easyjet experienced an increase in passenger numbers as a result of the recently concluded Air France Pilots strike.

While it is inevitable that those people planning to use Air France during the strike needed to make other arrangements, it is likely to be true that many who chose to book an alternative flight with the low cost airlines will have been converted to the benefits of not using one of the national carriers.

So from Air Frances point of view the strike may have proved to be doubly costly. Firstly the absolute loss in revenue over the strike period from cancelled flights. Secondly there is the more intangible cost of lost future business in respect of passengers now permanently lured away to the other carriers.

Ironically the strike centred on Air France's plans to develop its own low cost brand - however the after effects of the action may have a negative affect on the airline for some time to come.

Our experience in selling luggage is that the low cost airlines are the preferred choice for many travellers as more people question what they pay the extra for with the big brands.