There is calm in the first day of the full strike at Barcelona's El Prat airport. The security controls were working normally early in the morning, following the obligatory intervention of the Civil Guard. The presence of the police corps has reversed the effects of the strike, but not prevented other problems for the travellers, such as the queues for check-in. A real problem for the passengers.
The traffic at El Prat on this first day of the indefinite strike by the security workers of Eulen is expected to be very intense: 500 departing flights with 91,800 passengers on board, usual figures for the middle of August. More worrying is the fact that it is also a Monday, one of the days of the week with more movement at Barcelona airport.
Less queues
The queues, against expectations, have been minimum throughout the first stage of the morning. The presence of the Civil Guard has reverted the effects of the security strike. If last Monday there were several queues of more than one hour in the morning, the waiting time today has not exceeded 38 minutes - the maximum according to Aena, up to 5am. Afterwards, from 6am, the waiting at security control has been less: between 15 and 20 minutes.
Yesterday afternoon, the workers of Eulen again rejected the proposal of mediation of the Catalan government, which raised their salary by €200 per month. The new vote, which left a categorical 'no' on the table, meant that the indefinite strike could not be avoided today. Faced with this, the Spanish government decided to put in place the mechanism of using the Civil Guard to minimize the effects.
“I just want to catch the plane”
The main problem has been the apparent lack of foresight by some of the airlines, who, despite the strike and the anticipation of passengers, have not advanced their checking-in procedures. This is the case of the main American airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines, that have seen the most problems at their check-in desks. Early in the morning, queues have been registered lasting longer than an hour, provoking anger amongst the passengers.
Both American and United did not open their check-in desks until after 7am, causing a significant accumulation of passengers. “I am worried about losing my flight because of this queue," Adrià explained, waiting in line for check-in with United Airlines.
This Catalan was surprised by the wait, whilst the security control was working normally. "I think it is good that the Civil Guard is here. To me, it is the same whether they are Civil Guard, Mossos or Eulen. I just want to catch the plane,” he said. However, this passenger also showed solidary with the security staff, who today are providing only minimum and essential services: “It is a disgrace that a public company like Aena contracts a company [Eulen] but then pays its workers a crap salary."
Like Adrià, Charlie, an American travelling back to the United States, also considered it good that the security control staff had been reinforced to avoid problems for passengers, even though he felt it was a "drastic turn" by the Spanish government. In his case, the criticism was directed at United Airlines for not avoiding the queues at check-in. "They should have warned us that this could happen," he said.
A few metres away, the same scene was being played out at American Airlines. There, Lisa Cowan was waiting patiently and explained that, contrary to what she'd expected, "the only problem" was at check-in. This American, who was travelling with her family, assured that she was a firm supporter of the strikes to claim labour rights. "I believe that the workers have to be able to defend themselves. I am with the unions."
The extreme: 8 hours beforehand
There are some passengers who, moved by their unease about the total strike, decided to come to the airport even earlier than required. María and Erika, mother and daughter, travelling with the whole family to Pereira, arrived eight hours early and waited from 8am to check-in with Avianca. "We are nervous. They could have opened the check-in before, but it opens four hours beforehand, as always," explained the daughter who added that, if she loses the flight, "the company is not responsible".
Erika lives in Barcelona and feels "shame" for the situation at El Prat airport. "The Civil Guard could have come before. I do not know how the Spanish government allowed the airport to be 20 days like this," she said. "And in addition, this is happening in Barcelona, which is a world icon."
How to reclaim
In parallel to the first day of the full strike, the associations in defense of the consumer have come out in favour of the passengers. The president of ASETRA (Spanish Association of Users, Employers & Professionals of Air Transport), Ignacio Rubio, underlined things with a statement at the airport, saying that the measures implemented by the Spanish government have worked correctly. However, he criticised that the airport had been in these conditions "for 24 days". "The measures have worked well, but that does not mean there has not been a delay in the action," he stressed.
Rubio explained the recommended procedure to reclaim in the case of being affected by the strike. Firstly, one should contact the Catalan Consumer Agency or also ASETRA to make a formal claim. Afterwards, whoever processes the claims will be the Ministry of Fomento (Public Works & Transport) in order for Eulen to cover possible compensation demands.