Sixt Offers Free Cancellations for Travelers Affected by Unite Strike

Sixt Rent A Car, a leading car hire company in Europe, was quick to respond to the potential of a strike later this month by airport workers at 6 of Britain’s airports, including Stansted, Heathrow, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Southampton and Edinburgh. If the action was to go ahead, the firm was prepared to waive the cancellation fee, a move that was welcomed when they initially offered the free policy during the ash cloud crisis earlier this year.

However, since their announcement of free cancellations, Unite has announced that they are backing a new offer from the BAA, the airport operator. This has put the airport strike action on hold, and the many security workers, engineers, firefighters and ambulance officers involved will have the chance to vote on the new deal.

If the deal is rejected, however, a strike will be possible again. This will most likely cause the 6 airports to close, which will affect air passengers’ travel plans, as well as the services offered by airlines and car hire companies located near the hubs – particularly the major branches run by Sixt at Heathrow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Stansted and Glasgow. The company says that if customers are unable to fulfill their reservations due to canceled services from a strike, they will not be charged a cancellation fee.

The car hire market was criticized earlier this year after the volcanic ash cloud and icy weather left many holidaymakers out of pocket and without the break they had planned. Travelers were also plagued by the economic downturn in general and the British Airways strikes as of late.