Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

STRIKES

How will Italy’s airport strikes affect travel on Friday?

Passengers flying to or from Italy may face disruption on Friday, July 5th due to walkouts involving ground staff at airports including Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino.

Published: 3 July 2024 15:05 CEST
A passenger stands in front of a departure board at Rome's Fiumicino airport
A passenger stands in front of a departure board at Rome's Fiumicino airport during a cargo handling staff strike. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP

Baggage and cargo handling staff at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo, Rome Fiumicino and Bologna Guglielmo Marconi are set to stage a four-hour strike, from 1pm to 5pm, on Friday. 

The protests, which are backed by some of Italy’s major airport staff unions, may result in flight delays or cancellations at any one of the involved airport hubs, as well as delays in ground operations including check-in and baggage drop-off or collection services.

Air traffic controllers at Venice’s Marco Polo airport will also walk out from 1pm to 5pm on Friday, with the protest possibly causing significant changes to scheduled inbound and outbound flights.

Italy’s flag carrier ITA Airways said in a statement on Wednesday that it had been forced to cancel 24 flights scheduled for Friday, including 10 flights headed to Milan Linate, due to the planned walkouts. A full list of cancelled flights can be found here. 

The airline said that passengers affected by cancellations or changes to scheduled departure times will be able to rebook their journey free of charge or request a full refund by the end of Monday, July 8th.

READ ALSO: Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

Further cancellations couldn’t be ruled out as the company advised anyone who’s meant to be travelling with them on Friday to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.

No national airline other than ITA Airways had announced flight cancellations as of Wednesday afternoon.

Which flights are guaranteed?

Under Italian laws, services scheduled to depart from 7am to 10am and from 6pm to 9pm are protected from strike action and should therefore go ahead as normal on Friday, according to Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority (Enac).

All passengers planning to fly to or from any of the above-mentioned Italian airports on Friday are advised to check the status of the flight with their airline before setting off.

What to do if your flight is cancelled

If you’re flying to, from or within the EU you have the right to either a refund or rebooking, and the airline must always offer you the choice.

If you’re booked onto a later flight and have to wait for more than two hours, you’re entitled to assistance such as food and drink. And in the case of cancellations at short notice you may also be able to claim compensation.

Find full details here.

Follow all the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s nationwide rail strike this weekend

Train passengers in Italy may face disruption on Saturday, July 6th and Sunday, July 7th as staff at railway operators including Trenitalia and Italo plan a 24-hour strike.

Published: 4 July 2024 10:37 CEST
Updated: 6 July 2024 07:21 CEST
What to expect from Italy's nationwide rail strike this weekend

Passengers travelling across Italy by train may face delays or cancellations this weekend as staff at state-owned railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato, which includes Trenitalia, Trenord and Trenitalia Tper, and private company Italo plan to strike from 9pm on Saturday, July 6th, to 9pm Sunday, July 7th, for a total of 24 hours. 

The walkout was called by three of Italy’s major transport unions in late May to demand better working conditions and an improvement of workplace safety protocols.

The protest is set to affect all types of rail travel, from long-distance services to regional and local ones, with the overall level of disruption expected to vary by city and operator.

While rail companies are legally required to guarantee the operation of a number of minimum services (servizi minimi) during strikes taking place on weekdays, there’s no such requirement for weekend walkouts.

This means that operators are free to decide whether or not to guarantee services for passengers.

Trenitalia

National rail operator Trenitalia said in a statement that their services “may experience cancellations or changes” for the entire length of the strike, though the protest may also “result in service variations both before its start and after its end”. 

Trenitalia said it will operate a number of minimum services during the walkout. These are available here.

Passengers planning to travel with Trenitalia on Saturday or Sunday are advised to check the status of their journey via the Infomobilità section of Trenitalia’s website or mobile app, or by calling toll-free number 800 89 20 21.

Italo

Staff at private long-distance operator Italo are also expected to take part in the protest.

It was still unclear on Thursday exactly how the strike would impact the operator’s services, but delays and/or cancellations could not be ruled out.

Italo said it will guarantee the operation of a number of long-distance services during the walkout. You can find them highlighted in green in this table.

For further information, you can contact Italo’s support centre at 892 020.

Trenord

Trenord, which operates a number of regional trains in the Lombardy region, including connections to and from Milan’s Malpensa Airport, said it didn’t expect the walkout to have “significant repercussions” on their services. 

Trenord also said it will not operate minimum services during the strike.

However, should airport link services be cancelled, replacement buses will run the same routes. 

See Trenord’s website for the latest updates.

Trenitalia Tper

Services from Trenitalia Tper, which operates a number of trains in the Emilia-Romagna region, “may experience changes or cancellations” due to the walkout, according to a statement. 

The operator hasn’t yet provided any information regarding possible guaranteed services.

See their website for the latest updates.

What to do if your train is cancelled

If a pre-booked rail service is cancelled due to strike action in Italy, passengers are normally allowed to travel on other equivalent services or are entitled to a refund.

Passengers travelling with Trenitalia can request a refund either at the station or by completing this web form, whereas Italo generally issues refunds automatically.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

SHOW COMMENTS