With COVID restrictions scrapped, many of us are heading home for Christmas for the first time in three years. As major travel disruptions loom, however, the UK government has put out an advisory to reconsider your Christmas plans yet again.
The Border Force in UK airports is set to walk off the job from 23 to 26 Dec. and again from 28 to 31 Dec. Meanwhile, rail workers are likely to strike 13,14,16,17 Dec and again from 25 to 27 Dec. leaving about half of all the UK railways shut down.
Interior Minister Suella Braverman has recommended everyone to “think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted.”
Which UK Airports Are Affected By the 2022 Christmas Strike?
At the moment, the following UK airports will have Border Force staff on strike:
- Heathrow
- Birmingham
- Cardiff
- Gatwick
- Glasgow
- Manchester
Despite the Border Force strike, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye has said, “We are ready to welcome millions of passengers heading off to enjoy the holidays with family and friends.
We have extra people in the terminals on the busiest days, including me and my management team, to ensure we get people on their way as smoothly as possible and start to bring the joy back into travel.
We are doing everything we can to protect full operating schedules on Border Force strike days and departing journeys and the vast majority of arriving journeys should be unaffected.”
At Heathrow, travellers with UK, EU, US, and Canadian passports will be able to scan their documents at e-gates. While this is expected to reduce delays, officials have stressed the importance of arriving prepared for delays.
Which UK Railways Are Affected By the 2022 Christmas Strike?
Rishi Sunak made an official announcement on 13 December declaring that the government won’t budge on rail worker pay. Sunak said, “While the government will do all we can to minimise disruption, the only way we can stop it completely is by unions going back around the table and calling off these strikes.”
National Rail is offering an up-to-minute schedule for their reduced train services, but transport officials have warned that delays are likely to expand far beyond immediate strike zones.
UK 2022 Christmas Travel Disruptions Expanding
On the roads, things aren’t running any smoother. RAC said 12 Dec.
“was officially our busiest day for breakdowns on record, with around 12,000 drivers needing help…We believe two key ingredients have combined to create the worst-ever winter breakdown cocktail – a sustained period of cold weather with an absence of widespread snow that would otherwise keep people indoors, and a big rise in the number of drivers who can’t afford to maintain their vehicles as well as they’d like to due to the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Today remains an incredibly demanding day for our patrols, with the rail strikes likely to force yet more people onto the roads.”https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/
