Daily Express - 23.08.2019

Daily Express Friday, August 23, 2019 9

DX1ST

GET READY FOR THE HEATWAVE

Strike-hit

Ryanair in

97% on

time boast

Ridiculous

BUDGET airline Ryanair

shrugged off a pilot

strike yesterday and

claimed to be avoiding

predicted Bank Holiday

weekend chaos.

It reported 97 per cent

punctuality for its first

departures and arrivals at

UK airports, blaming the

few delays on air traffic

control issues.

Ryanair failed on

Wednesday in a last-ditch

High Court bid to stop the

48-hour walkout by pilots

belonging to the Balpa

union. There were fears

this could disrupt the

weekend travel plans of

up to 250,000 passengers

The strike is backed by

about 350 of Ryanair’s

1,250 UK-based pilots.

However, the airline

succeeded in blocking

a simultaneous strike by

Ireland-based Ryanair

pilots in a Dublin court

fight. Yesterday Ryanair

said: “All flights to and

from UK airports departed

as scheduled today, with

92 per cent punctuality

(due to some ATC delays).

“We do not expect any

disruptions to our flights

to/from our UK airports

for the rest of the day.”

Leaked documents

show that Ryanair pilots

already enjoy a package

of about £158,000 and

want a rise of up to 121

per cent for 2021.

But Balpa general

secretary Brian Strutton

dismissed the leaked pay

figures as “simply

ridiculous, bumped up,

fictitious spin”.

Meanwhile, more than

100,000 Royal Mail

workers are to be balloted

for strikes over issues

including job security

and terms and conditions

of employment.

Members of the

Communication Workers

Union (CWU) will vote

from September 24, with

the result due in the first

week of October.

Ryanair faced few delays

Pictures: APEX, REX, SWNS, ALAMY, STEVE REIGATE

By John Ingham

Rosy glow...

Hats and

fascinators

plus stylish

shoes on

Ladies’ Day

at York

Racecourse

yesterday

Beach lovers at

Bournemouth

yesterday

Sunseekers on the beach at

Weymouth, Dorset, yesterday

where 87.8F (31C) is most likely.
“By Monday the higher tempera-
tures will likely become confined to
the South-east of England where
temperatures into the low 30s
could again occur – which
would set a new record.”
The late August bank
holiday record tem-
perature stands at
82.7F (28.2C).
This weekend
Asda expects sales
of barbecues to
rocket by 160 per
cent, paddling pools
to soar by 115 per
cent, an 80 per cent rise
in burger sales and for

people to purchase enough tubs of

ice-cream to stretch from Brighton

to Dundee.

Figures show record numbers are

choosing to holiday at

home with Britons

taking a record 15.4-

million domestic

holidays in the

UK between

January and

April – up nine

per cent on the

same period

last year. Fam-

ilies also favour short

breaks of one to three

nights with 6.4million more

of these being booked than a dec-

ade ago. Tourism is now worth

£127billion to the UK economy.

Tourism Minister Rebecca Pow

said: “It’s wonderful to see a record

number of Brits are planning a stay-

cation this bank holiday. The UK is

the best place to holiday in the world.

There is truly something for every-

one. Tourism makes a massive contri-

bution to the UK economy and I’m

thrilled that so many people will be

enjoying and exploring destinations

across the nation this weekend.”

Traditional seaside towns such as

Bournemouth, Blackpool, Weston-

super-Mare, Cromer

and Margate are

expected to be especially

popular this weekend while

attractions such as Stonehenge, the

Tower of London and Chester Zoo

will be extremely busy.

Kate Andrews, of the Institute of

Economic Affairs, said: “When it

comes to consumer choice, there is

no better year to be alive than 2019.

“Whether you’re enjoying a stay-

cation in the beautiful English coun-

tryside, or jetting off on a discount

flight to Europe, affordable travel has

enabled people in all income brack-

ets to more easily venture outside

their hometowns to enjoy other areas

of the UK, or indeed the world.”