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STRIKES

How the airline strike will disrupt flights to and from Italy on Saturday

Pilots and cabin crew from four low-cost airlines will strike on Saturday, October 1st, in a move set to cause significant disruption to Italian air travel.

Published: 29 September 2022 10:52 CEST
Updated: 30 September 2022 15:01 CEST
Disruption caused by a Ryanair strike.
Pilots and cabin crew from low-cost carrier Ryanair will take part in a 24-hour strike on Saturday, October 1st. Photo by Lluis GENE / AFP

Passengers travelling to and from Italy were set to face major delays and cancellations on Saturday, October 1st after Italian unions FILT-CGIL and Uiltrasporti confirmed a national airline strike on Wednesday.

Staff from Volotea, Easyjet and Ryanair will hold a 24-hour walkout, whereas Vueling staff will strike for a total of four hours, from 1pm to 5pm, unions said.

READ ALSO: Italian low-cost airline staff to strike on October 1st

At the time of writing, no details were immediately available as to exactly which flights would be affected, though scheduled flights with these carriers were said to be at risk of being delayed or even cancelled. 

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) confirmed on Wednesday that a number of flights would be guaranteed on the day of the strike. 

Flights scheduled to depart between 7am and 10am and between 6pm and 9pm were expected to run regularly, as were flights to and from Italy’s major islands (Sicily and Sardinia). 

Passengers board for the first public flight operated by Easyjet at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt.

Flights departing between 7am and 10am and between 6pm and 9pm should run regularly, according to the Italian Aviation Authority. Photo by Tobias Schwarz / AFP

All intercontinental flights were also expected to run on Saturday, though ENAC strongly advised passengers to check the status of their journey with their carrier prior to setting off. 

The upcoming strike will be the latest in a long series of demonstrations that rocked Europe’s airline industry over the summer, causing significant disruption to thousands of air passengers. 

READ ALSO: Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?

As previously reported, the strike was called in protest against employers’ failure to “grant acceptable working conditions and wages that are in line with minimum national salaries”. 

Unions also slammed Spanish airline Vueling’s decision to lay off 17 flight attendants based in Rome’s Fiumicino Airport “after months of hard work and professionalism”. 

The last significant strike was held on Monday, September 12th, when a 24-hour national strike action from unionised ground staff caused Italy’s flag carrier, ITA Airways, to cancel several domestic flights. 

On that occasion, ITA said affected passengers were rebooked on the first available flights.

In the event of delays or cancellations, the rights of all passengers are protected by EU regulation EC 261. This applies to any air passenger flying within the EU/Schengen zone, arriving in the EU/Schengen zone from a non-EU country by means of a EU-based airline (all airlines involved in the strike are EU-based) or departing from the EU/Schengen zone. 

READ ALSO: Passports: What are the post-Brexit rules for dual-nationals travelling in Europe?

According to this regulation, airlines are financially accountable for any journey disruption they are responsible for. That includes disruptions caused by airline staff strikes. Therefore, should your flight be significantly delayed or cancelled, you might be entitled to receive compensation from your airline.

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STRIKES

How is Italy’s public transport affected by strikes on Monday?

Passengers in cities around Italy faced potential cancellations or delays on Monday, May 6th, as a nationwide strike hit local public transport services.

Published: 6 May 2024 10:19 CEST
How is Italy's public transport affected by strikes on Monday?

A strike was set to cause travel disruption in cities across Italy on Monday, as staff of local public transport operators across the country announced a 24-hour walkout.

The USB workers union in a statement said it was protesting job precarity and overlong shifts and calling for higher wages and better contracts. Unions CUB Trasporti, SGB, Cobas Lavoro Privato, Adl Cobas and Al-Cobas have also joined the strike.

The walkout was planned to take place in different windows in cities around the country. Here’s what to expect:

Rome

Rome’s public transport operator ATAC announced that services will only be guaranteed from the start of service until 8.29am and from 5pm until 8pm. Metro, bus and tram services were all set to be affected.

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

On the night of May 6th to May 7th, night buses (those with ‘n’ before the number) are guaranteed, but daytime lines that have trips scheduled beyond midnight are not.

Milan

Staff of Milan’s public transport company ATM planned to strike from 8.45am to 3pm and after 6pm.

The strike was expected to affect services on the Como-Brunate funicular from 8.30am to 4.30pm and after 7.30pm.

Florence

In Florence and throughout the entire region of Tuscany, passengers using Autolinee Toscane’s public transport services faced disruption from 8.15am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm until end of service.

Rome, empty bus station

A deserted bus station during a national transport strike in Rome. Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP

Naples

Naples transport provider ANM announced that staff intend to strike from 3am on May 6th to 3am on May 7th.

Tram, bus and trolley services have been guaranteed from 5.30am until 8.30am and 5pm until 8pm; passengers should expect disruption any time outside these windows.

The last guaranteed departure on the funicular is at 9.20am and service should resume between 5pm and 7.50pm.

On Metro Line 1, the last guaranteed service from Piscinola was scheduled for 9.12am and from Garibaldi at 9.07am. Guaranteed afternoon slots are 5pm until 7.33pm from Piscinola and 5.40pm until 7.28pm from Garibaldi.

Venice

Venice’s public transport operators ACM/ACTV said the strike could affect water-based and surface line services; the provider has updated its website with a list of all the services guaranteed to go ahead on May 6th.

Bologna and Ferrara

Staff of Emilia Romagna’s public transport operator Tper were set to strike from 8.30am to 4.30pm and 7.30pm to end of service.

Services on Marconi Express monorail connecting Bologna’s Guglielmo Marconi Airport with the city’s central rail station face disruption throughout the day.

Genoa

Genoa’s public transport provider reports that staff were expected to strike for the 24 hours outside the guaranteed slots of 6am to 9am and 5.30pm to 8.30pm.

Other regions and cities

USB listed on its website (in Italian) the times that the strike was expected to affect transport services in other towns and regions across the country, including Turin, Bolzano, Trento, Trieste, Marche, Umbria, Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily.

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