Airline passenger news and views

The reaction of the Spanish to the recent strike threat by their air traffic controllers was quite refreshing. Their call for the Spanish military to be brought in to take over the jobs is interesting. What is more surprising is that it is a serious and considered option.

Spain depends to quite an extent on its tourism and the strike has been seen as a threat to that industry and its associated jobs.  At a time of economic hardship and many Spaniards without jobs, the Spanish press were disgusted that the very well paid air traffic controllers should threaten strike action over their so called working conditions.

The reaction begs the question as to whether this could or even should happen in other parts of Europe. We are after all now part of a de-facto (as well as increasingly de-jure) federal Europe. Air traffic has to be a prime example of a pan-European activity that can benefit from co-ordinated regulation and management.

We have seen the stupidity of settling the French ATC strike only for the Spanish to threaten identical action. We surely cannot allow ourselves to be given the run-around in this way and so, maybe, a reserve force whether it be military or otherwise would make sense.

A sensible idea or a dangerous precedent?.