14/06/2002 00:00
TW
0

Dear Sir,
So, there is a General Strike planned for the 20th. Knowing this already for sometime, it should not come as a shock/surprise. Some are planning ahead to minimise disruption and even chaos, such as the schools here ending term a day earlier, - makes sense the youngsters can enjoy the beach rather than run their parents ragged trying to get them to school, etc.

But what of arriving and departing tourists, mainstream of the local economy? Whatever emergency, “Dunkirk” operations are put into place, there will be great discomfort for the holidaymakers, and terrible publicity for the island.

Have the tour operators, airlines and other tourist officials considered advising everyone planning to fly here on the 20th, to check in a day later, and those on the island to stay a day longer? No problem accommodation-wise for those staying an extra day/night- they would occupy the rooms the (non) arrivals would have had.

For the people losing a day, well I'd rather do that in the comfort of my home than camp out on the floor to an airport. Maybe the refund of one lost day of a holiday might make tour operators use all the excuses in the world to avoid this cost, the biggest being non availability of aeroplanes, but in an emergency, professional and caring planning can cope. After all, if we knew weeks in advance Majorca would be fog bound for 24 hours, would everyone still be expected to go to the airport and wait, when it was obvious no one could fly out until the next day? And of course they would fly out the next day fog (or strike) having dispersed.

It's probably too late for this present strike, but for the next time (and there will be one) maybe those in charge could be more efficient in avoiding the great discomfort for the long suffering public have to endure.

Yours sincerely

Graham Phillips.