Potential travel chaos in Greece as more strikes announced
Ferry travel in Greece will be disrupted for a further two days this week after the seamen’s union announced a second 48-hour strike.
The Panhellenic Seamen Federation members, who walked out for 48 hours yesterday, will go on strike again on May 18 and 19.
The UK Foreign Office (FCO) is warning that all passenger ferry services across Greece are likely to be cancelled for a further two days as a result. Ships will remain in ports, it said.
Flights will also be disrupted this morning due to a four-hour strike by Greece’s air traffic controllers, starting at 11am.
The FCO said the strike would hit all international and domestic flights.
As a result, the national airline Olympic has cancelled or rescheduled dozens of flights across Greece. British Airways said it had retimed a number of its flights to avoid the strike period and put larger aircraft o some routes to and from Athens today. EasyJet said it had proactively cancelled some flights to Greece due to the strike.
Greece’s two biggest trade unions, the General Confederation of Greek Workers and the Civil Servants’ Confederation, are also stating a 24-hour national strike today, which has hit public transport.
There will be no rail or metro train services to or from Athens airport. Buses are running, but are likely to be busy.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism