Spanish region's 'tourism tax' and BA's US flights grounded

Elsewhere, prime minister Rishi Sunak has vowed “not to back down” to unions’ pay demands as travellers face days of disruption due to strikes in the run-up to Christmas.

Meanwhile, UK visitors to a popular part of Spain are set to face a new tourist tax from next year, while Manchester airport has warned passengers about delays in getting their luggage.

Here are the headlines the travel industry woke up to on Tuesday (20 December).

BA flights leaving US grounded over technical issue

British Airways has apologised after flights due to depart from the US were grounded for several hours. The airline said it was urgently investigating a technical issue with its third-party flight planning supplier. Passengers have reported waiting for hours in US airports. (BBC News)

Sunak: I won’t back down over strikes

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has warned striking unions, including those representing transport workers, that he is ready to hold out against their “unreasonable” pay demands indefinitely despite the impact of strikes in the next few days. (The Daily Mail)

Britons to pay tourist tax in Spanish region from next year

UK holidaymakers will have to pay a new tourist tax when staying in the popular Valencia region of Spain from December 2023. Local councils will be able to charge tourists up to €2 per night under the tax. (Daily Express)

Manchester airport tells passengers to expect more baggage delays

Manchester airport has apologised after passengers were left waiting hours to get their luggage and warned that the situation is likely to continue over Christmas. The airport admitted there were “unacceptable levels of service” during the busy festive getaway. Passengers called the situation a “shambles”, with some travellers waiting up to seven hours to get their bags. (The Independent)

London City airport waters down capacity increase proposals

London City has submitted an application to be allowed to expand annual passenger capacity from 6.5 million to 9 million. But the airport has “dialled back” its original plans for more early morning and Saturday flights. (Bloomberg)

British Airways flies dog to wrong continent

A pet dog was accidentally flown 3,000 miles in the wrong direction by British Airways, according to its owners. Black labrador Bluebell was meant to be travelling to Nashville in the US but ended being flown to Saudi Arabia instead in the mix-up. (The Times)