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STRIKES

CALENDAR: The Italian transport strikes to expect in summer 2023

More travel disruption is likely as Italian unions have announced walkouts affecting flights, trains and public transport in July.

Published: 8 June 2023 16:29 CEST
Updated: 10 July 2023 10:34 CEST
Strike at Rome's Fiumicino airport
Strikes are a regular occurrence in Italy's summer months, especially in the transport sector. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP

Transport strikes are hardly unusual during Italy’s summer months, and this year will be no exception. 

As the summer travel season gets underway, Italian unions representing airline, railway and public transport staff have called multiple strikes for July, which threaten to affect the travel plans of locals and international visitors.

READ ALSO: Why are there so many transport strikes in Italy?

Strikes are usually planned and announced well in advance in Italy though, and the Italian transport ministry lists them on a handy calendar.

The following walkouts are expected to cause at least some disruption in the coming weeks:

July 24th: Public transport staff all around the country will take part in a four-hour walkout on Monday, July 24th. 

The strike was called last week by USB, one of Italy’s major trade unions, to demand the introduction of a national minimum salary and stronger measures on workplace safety. 

The walkout is expected to affect all types of local public transport, from metro lines to surface services (buses, trams, ferries, etc.), and may result in major delays and/or cancellations. 

As it’s usually the case with public transport strikes in Italy, the start and end times of the protest will vary from city to city, as will the amount of disruption caused by it. 

No further details about the strike were available at the time of writing, with further information expected to emerge closer to the date. 

No more nationwide strikes have been confirmed beyond July 24th, but protests can also be announced at short notice.

Anyone flying to or from Italy between July 27th and September 5th can breathe easy: strikes (at least Italian ones) are unlikely to affect your journey between these dates.

Industrial action impacting Italy’s air transport sector is not allowed during the peak summer travel period from the end of July to the beginning of September.

This is called the franchigia estiva, or ‘summer exemption period’, and it exists partly to protect Italy’s highly lucrative tourism industry.

This rule doesn’t prevent other types of transport strikes from going ahead in Italy, though strikes of any sort tend to be relatively few and far between during the hottest months of the year.

How bad are strikes in Italy?

Italy’s strikes may be frequent but they don’t always cause much disruption for travellers.

The severity of disruption caused by any strike in Italy largely depends on how many staff in any part of the transport sector decide to participate.

READ ALSO: Should you travel in Italy when there’s a strike on?

And, even in the case of highly disruptive strikes, essential services (or servizi minimi) are guaranteed to operate at some times of the day, which are commonly known as fascie protette (‘protected time windows’).

This goes for all transport sectors, from local public transport to rail and air travel.

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

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TRAVEL NEWS

Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

A recent analysis found that fares for flights between European countries have decreased on average this summer - but mysteriously, Italy is bucking the trend.

Published: 17 June 2024 12:02 CEST
Why are flight prices higher in Italy than the rest of Europe this summer?

Italy may be at the start of a summer tourism boom, but that’s no thanks to the cost of its airline tickets, which are higher than ever this year.

According to a recent analysis in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, intra-Europe fares from June to September 2024 are down three percent on average compared to the same period last year – but Italy’s flight costs have risen.

The average price of a summer flight between Italy and the rest of Europe has increased by seven percent since 2023, data shows, while domestic flights cost as much as 21 percent more.

Corriere doesn’t offer much of an explanation for the hikes, though says industry sources say it could be down to demand being higher than anticipated.

READ ALSO: How Europe’s new EES border checks will impact flight passengers

It’s true that supply chain issues have reduced the available fleet of global aircraft at a time when the appetite for international travel is as high as ever – but this is an industry-wide problem that shouldn’t disproportionately affect Italy.

Carmelo Calì, the vice president of consumer rights watchdog Confconsumatori, suggested in a recent interview that the main culprit is a lack of healthy competition in the Italian market.

“Despite what is said to the contrary, in our country companies often find themselves operating at airports practically alone,” Calì told consumer publication Il Salvagente (The Lifejacket).

“Even when there is competition, prices remain high, because the race is upwards and not downwards.”

The high price of Italy’s domestic flights have been a point of contention for years, with consumer unions long complaining that fares for tickets between mainland Italy and the major islands are exorbitant.

Italy’s Price Surveillance Guarantor Benedetto Mineo, who officially goes by Mister Prezzi (‘Mr. Prices’), last summer called on the seven main airlines operating in Italy to account for a 40 percent annual increase in the cost of some key domestic routes.

READ ALSO: Why two Swiss to Italy flight routes are ‘the most turbulent’ in Europe

This was followed by the government announcing a price cap on flights connecting Sardinia and Sicily to the Italian mainland – that it promptly shelved just one month later, after budget carrier Ryanair led a furious pushback by low cost airlines.

“Here companies believe they have freedom that they don’t have elsewhere, convinced they can get away with it, while in the rest of Europe they fear being punished,” said Calì.

That may explain why the EU’s competition watchdog has been so slow to approve a proposed partial takeover of Italy’s national flag carrier ITA by Germany airline Lufthansa.

The Commission has repeatedly insisted that Lufthansa must give away a certain number of its slots at Milan’s Linate airport in compliance with EU competition rules in order for the deal to go ahead.

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