50 shades of chaos – but Heathrow is one of the lighter patches

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £20 FOR 1 YEAR]( June 09, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( “Airport strikes threaten summer of strife”: so read one front-page headline on Thursday, after the Unite union announced 31 days of walk-outs by security staff at London Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5. time stands still: the end of the very long and slow security queue at Stockholm airport   [Get inspired...]( Under-the-radar Wales]( How to explore Carmarthenshire, Wales’s best-kept secret, on a [tour of the Wild Drovers’ Way]( – a three-day, slow-travel road trip that's stacked with charm [I'm an image]( [Lanzarote hotels]( The best [places to stay on the popular Canary Island](, from beautiful adults-only retreats to family-friendly hotels with multiple restaurants [I'm an image]( [The Sunshine State]( The [best beaches in Florida](, from pure white dunes and turquoise waters to the most iconic stretches of soft sand to sink your toes into   Simon’s dispatches In reality, what will [a summer-long series of strikes mean for travellers at the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow](? One travel industry observer has no doubt: “Chaos.” I beg to differ. The chosen dates are scattered, mostly at weekends, across a stretch of 66 days from 24 June to 27 August. Yes, they are aimed at the busiest spells, but even so most people departing from Heathrow this summer will not be doing so on a strike day. Half of the airport’s four terminals are unaffected: Terminal 2, home of the Star Alliance (Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, United) plus Aer Lingus and plucky Loganair; and Terminal 4, the lair for Air France, KLM, Qatar Airways and many others. Even so, according to the aviation analysts at Cirium, more than 10,000 flights and 2 million passengers are planned to depart from Terminals 3 and 5 on strike days. [The union says they can expect “disruption, delays and cancellations”](. Unite may be right, but I predict otherwise. The airport will do all it can to reduce the pressure on the security checkpoints: deploying extra staff ahead of the security search area to remind passengers about the rules on liquids, and to remove their laptops. This should reduce the number of bags being “pulled” for a detailed inspection. In addition, airlines (I forecast) will allow passengers to check in cabin baggage free of charge. Initially, for the June strike dates (24-25 and 28-30), Heathrow may ask airlines at Terminals 3 and 5 to slim their schedules – ie cancel a proportion of flights – and stop taking new bookings. [That is what happened in the pre-Easter strike affecting Terminal 5 only.]( But if those initial days pass off peacefully, a “summer of strife” is likely to be avoided – in the UK, at least. [Air-traffic controllers in France]( and aviation workers in Italy and beyond may have their own ideas. Even without any industrial action, Stockholm airport last Friday was a shambles, with the queue for security stretching for hundreds of metres. Whatever the outcome of the Heathrow disarray, spare a thought for the union members. Let me tell you about the working life of an airport security search officer. With passengers typically checking in from 4am for the first wave of departures, you wake at silly o’clock. Once at work, for seven or eight hours you face constant and concentrated resentment from the travellers you are seeking to serve. [You and your colleagues are seen as a necessary evil standing between the passengers, their planes and their plans](. No one likes the experience of putting their valuables and personal potions in a plastic tray, nor undergoing a frisking normally reserved for suspected criminals and prison inmates – especially in the time-pressured, alien environment of an airport. Security staff are in the frontline of frustration, and they deserve to be fairly rewarded. [My rail journey across the far north of Sweden](     Tip of the week: Changing terminals at Heathrow [British Airways]( is making a summer shuffle from its main base at Heathrow Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 this month. Some long-haul routes have moved across to T3: to and from Bahrain, Bermuda, Grand Cayman, Nassau and Providenciales. In the opposite direction, BA’s sister Spanish airline, [Iberia](, is now operating from Terminal 5. It means all British Airways and Iberia links to Madrid will now fly from T5 [Our latest Madrid city guide]( PICK OF THE WEEK: EXQUISITE HOLIDAY HOMES ROOTED IN THE BEAUTY OF CORNWALL Enjoy up to 20% off summer stays with Cornish Gems in our seaside escapes, rural retreats and cosy cottages. Visit [cornishgems.com]( to book. Deal of the week: High-speed, low-cost Continental trains Starting on Sunday, according to the editors of Europe by Rail, [Deutsche Bahn]( has a special summer offer until 31 July for shorter trips by high-speed ICE trains. Links such as Bremen-Hamburg, Dresden-Leipzig and Cologne-Düsseldorf are on sale for €9.90 (£8.50). And in Spain, rail competition on the high-speed network is flourishing, with low-cost train operators entering the market to keep fares down. The European Rail Timetable says this month [Iryo]( – part-owned by Italian Railways – has launched services between Alicante and Madrid, with fares for the 425km journey as low as €16 (£14). The move opens up the prospect of easy and inexpensive two-centre trips combining the Costa Blanca with the Spanish capital. [Read our Cologne city guide]( £99 £20 for 1 year ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more [SUBSCRIBE NOW](   Question of the week: Do you recommend Marrakech? Q We are thinking of travelling to Marrakech next year. I have had some very conflicting opinions on the city. Your thoughts, please? A My most recent of many visits to Marrakech was last October. I have always found it a fascinating and friendly place, and clean enough. I recommend a visit unreservedly. The heart of the city is the medina, a maze of lanes and a hive of activity from dawn until dusk. It is also home to many riads: handsome townhouses, usually with courtyards, that offer characterful stays. If you prefer, though, there are plenty of good hotels in the more modern, mainly French-built new town, Gueliz, where the avenues are wider. The vast open square, Djemaa el Fna, is the hub of the city, populated by makeshift cafes serving food cooked over red-hot charcoal. [Where to stay in Marrakech]( In terms of tourist sights, I recommend the lovely Jardin Majorelle: founded by Yves Saint-Laurent and containing the Pierre Berge Museum of Berber Arts. My main concern for you is timing. I can strongly recommend a visit in February or the first 10 days of March: while the weather will not be perfect, it will be much warmer than the UK and the city will be quiet. Ramadan, from 11 March to 9 April, could be tough, as the Muslim population refrain from eating and drinking during the hours of daylight. Although allowances are made for tourists, the city will not deliver the experience you might hope. By then, the summer season is getting under way – and I would stay away until October, when the heat and the crowds dissipate. Finally, consider building up a bigger Moroccan exploration – especially Casablanca, the lively commercial hub, and the capital, Rabat. [The ultimate travel guide to Morocco]( STAT OF THE WEEK 250 The number of combat aircraft involved in nine days of [the biggest military exercise in Nato history](, centred on Germany this month. Hundreds of commercial flights will be delayed. What you might have missed... - Going Dutch? [Eurostar's Amsterdam and Rotterdam trains could be suspended for almost a year]( - Clear coast: [First Hurtigruten zero-emissions cruise ship]( - Dale sale: [Kilnsey Crag in the Yorkshire Dales could be yours for £150,000]( SIMON'S DIARY Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel]( Or you can find me on TikTok. 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