Massive national strike to keep almost all flights grounded in Belgium next week

Three Belgium trade unions have called for a country-wide general strike next Wednesday over wage disputes, with authorities warning travelers to expect massive delays by plane, train and bus.

The Christian, socialist and liberal unions’ planned work-stoppage is expected to “seriously disrupt” travel across the country, with 150 of the day's 222 scheduled flights having already been canceled, affecting 11,288 passengers.

Long delays and cancellations at the airport are likely to dramatically increase vehicle-traffic which could bring motorways across the country to a crawl. On top of that, demonstrations planned for Brussel’s city center will drastically increase travel times in the capital.

British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Airline flights in and out of the UK may also be affected by the strike. The Airlines are warning passengers to leave home extra early for flights, only bring carry-on luggage and, if possible, cancel travel plans altogether.