A presidential visit this week and labor actions across the continent could snarl European travel for the next month.
Travelers bound for Europe within the next week should pack their patience and keep their airline app sending push notifications. The combination of weather, planned strike actions, and the possibility of traffic disruptions related to President Trump’s state visit to Britain could delay travelers bound for the continent over the coming week.
Travel Headaches in Britain
President Trump is expected to arrive in Britain on Tuesday evening, in what has been characterized as that country’s biggest security operation since the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023. A second state visit was offered to the President by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year, in a break from tradition. Second term U.S. presidents typically receive a royal invitation for a tea or luncheon, but without the full schedule of events that attends an official state visit.
The official schedule has events at Windsor Castle, near London, and the prime minister’s official country residence, Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, which would likely reduce traffic impacts for visitors to London, although flights could experience disruption at Heathrow Airport. The airport—Britain’s busiest—lies just 8 miles from Windsor Castle, which will have airspace restrictions in place during the president’s visit.
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Events at Windsor Castle have disrupted Heathrow flights before, most recently during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022, when airspace over Windsor was closed to provide relative silence during the funeral service and interment. Airlines serving Heathrow cancelled nearly 100 flights on that day. While the airspace restrictions have been announced, there has been no official estimate how many flights—if any—could be impacted.
Air Traffic Control Strikes in France
Travelers bound for France were originally to have faced delays or cancelations this Thursday and Friday as air traffic controllers in that country had scheduled strikes, but it was announced Monday that the strikes would be postponed to October 7-10 because of the recent collapse of the government, meaning there are no negotiators from the Ministry of Transport to hold discussions with until a new government is formed.
Ground Staff Strikes in Italy, Portugal, and Spain
In Italy, ground staff at Volotea have announced a strike action for September 26, so travelers on that airline should check their flight status before heading to the airport. Baggage handlers and other ground staff have also planned strikes in Spain and Portugal in several periods through at least January 2026.
In Portugal, ground workers employed by the ground handling company Menzies Aviation have announced a series of strikes over several multiday periods through December 2025. Disruptions are expected to impact several airports in the country, including Lisbon, Porto, Faro, and in the islands of Madeira and the Azores.
In Spain, Azul Handling staff have said they will strike from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for the rest of 2025. Airports across the country are affected, including those at Alicante, Barcelona, Girona, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Madrid, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tenerife South, and Valencia.
Air travelers bound for Europe can request compensation from their airline if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed due to circumstances within the airline’s control. Consumer protection regulations (EU 261) in Europe consider strikes by airline or contracted staff to be within the airline’s control, but not strikes by air traffic control or security staff. All flights departing the European Union are subject to EU 261 rules, regardless of the nationality of the air carrier, while flights on European-flagged airlines are subject to those rules regardless of their airport of origin.
Travelers originating in the United Kingdom or on U.K. certificated airlines have virtually identical consumer protections, grandfathered into British law before the U.K. left the European Union in 2020, although disruptions related to airspace closures for security reasons are generally considered outside of airlines’ control.