Spain Baggage Strikes Keep Biting During Peak Windows

Published on Nov 3, 2025, 8:38 am CST

4 min read

Key points

Azul Handling's strike actions continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5:00 to 9:00 a.m. local time through December 31, 2025
Morning bank baggage delays are most common at large Ryanair bases including Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia, Seville and Palma
Spain's transport ministry has imposed minimum-service rules, but slow check-in, bag drops and late baggage delivery still occur
Ryanair says it aims to operate the full schedule, so travelers should plan for normal departures with longer ground timelines
Avoid first-wave departures if you have tight connections, and travel carry-on only when possible

Impact

Avoid First-Wave Banks: If you must connect in Spain, skip 5:00-9:00 a.m. local departures or pad your itinerary
Pad Minimum Connection Time: Add 45-60 minutes for Schengen-to-Schengen and 60-90 minutes for Schengen-to-non-Schengen connections during strike windows
Go Carry-On Only: Checked bags are the most affected, so use cabin baggage to protect misconnects
Tag And Drop Early: Check in online, print or download boarding passes, and use first opening of bag-drop counters before the 5:00 a.m. rush
Use Airline Tools: Monitor your flight in the app, enable alerts, and be ready to request a same-day earlier or later connection if your inbound slips
Document Delays: Keep delay notes and baggage receipts for expenses claims under airline policies if service standards are missed

Azul Handling, the Ryanair Group ground-handling provider in Spain, continues rolling work stoppages during peak windows at multiple Spanish airports. The current pattern targets the 500-900 a.m. local morning bank every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through December 31, 2025. Spain's transport ministry has imposed minimum-service requirements to keep essential operations running, but travelers are still seeing slower check-in, bag drops, and late baggage delivery during those hours. The upshot, if you are connecting on a morning bank, is to pad your timeline and, when possible, travel carry-on only.

Ryanair says it intends to run the published schedule despite the industrial action, which means many flights will depart roughly on time, while ground services lag. That mismatch explains why misconnects are cropping up, especially when tight connections meet delayed baggage transfer. The airports most frequently mentioned in strike communications include Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Valencia, Seville, and Palma de Mallorca, though Azul Handling covers additional bases.

How it works

Spain treats airport ground-handling strikes as protected labor actions with "servicios mínimos," minimum service obligations set by the Ministry of Transport. For Azul Handling, the government's October resolution specifies the scope, affected work centers, and protection bands, allowing essential flights to be served while acknowledging reduced staffing in non-protected periods. In practice, you will see longer lines at self-service kiosks and bag drops, slower baggage offloads, and occasional late pushbacks when ramp crews are thin.

What to do at check-in

Check in online the moment your window opens and download boarding passes. If you must check a bag, arrive at the terminal before counters open for your flight and complete the drop as early as policies allow. Use automated bag drops where available, and keep your baggage receipt. If your airport offers a priority bag-drop lane via fare bundle or status, use it, but plan for delays anyway during the 500-900 a.m. wave. If your inbound flight is slipping into the strike window, proactively ask at the counter for a legal later connection with the same fare class to protect the itinerary.

What to do at the gate

Watch the gate and airline app, not only the master departures board. If an equipment swap, crew legality issue, or slow turn threatens your connection, request a protected re-routing before boarding. For tight domestic Schengen connections during strike hours, aim for at least 1 hour, 30 minutes; for non-Schengen connections that require passport control, target 2 hours, 15 minutes to 3 hours. These are conservative buffers calibrated to current ground conditions, not official MCTs, and they help absorb a late baggage transfer or a long walk to passport control.

Airports and timing to watch

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas (MAD) and Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) run large morning banks with heavy Ryanair flows. Málaga (AGP), Valencia (VLC), Seville (SVQ), and Palma de Mallorca (PMI) see persistent bag-room backlogs during the first wave. Because the legal framework mandates minimum service, cancellations have been limited so far compared with pure walk-offs. Expect the pain to concentrate in the first 60-90 minutes after 5:00 a.m., then ease as staffing rotates and protected bands shift.

For broader context, see our earlier timetable and airport coverage explainer for Spain's Azul Handling actions, which tracks protection bands and union notices over time (internal).

Final thoughts

The strike calendar is clear, the windows are predictable, and most flights still go. The traveler edge comes from planning around the 500-900 a.m. local bank, packing light, and building realistic connection buffers. That is the simplest way to keep Spain baggage strikes from derailing your day.