A call for labor strikes has been issued by members of trade unions in Italy for 24 hours for today, Friday, October 25, 2019, during which public servants and private sector employees will protest their anger pertaining to low wages, pension provisions and poor working conditions — and the industrial labor action has already affected air travel for the day, as hundreds of flights to and from Italy have already been canceled.
Travel Alert October 2019: Industrial Action in Italy Causes Hundreds of Flights to Be Canceled
Air traffic controllers throughout Italy will strike for four hours from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon; and other strikes in the aviation sector will vary from four hours to 24 hours — and many individual airports will experience industrial action as well, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy.
Pilots, members of flight crews, and ground personnel of Alitalia have already walked off of their jobs at midnight earlier this morning and will strike for the remainder of the day.
Ground transportation will not provide much relief, as workers of Trenitalia are currently on strike until 9:00 in the evening later today, which is causing problems for commuter trains and longer-distance services — and buses, trams, subways and other forms of local transportation may be out of service in at least seven cities in Italy.
As many of the highways — which are also known as the autostrada — are toll roads, renting a car may not be an ideal transportation solution either, as toll collectors may also be on strike.
Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations
If you are traveling to Italy over the next couple of days, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to this industrial action which may adversely affect your travel plans.
If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary.
Here are four airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of the pending industrial action in Italy:
- American Airlines has issued travel alerts for Bologna, Milan Malpensa, Pisa, Rome, Venice and Verona for Friday, October 25, 2019; and Wednesday, October 30, 2019 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Iberia has issued a travel alert for airports throughout Italy for Friday, October 25, 2019; and Monday, October 28, 2019 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Alitalia has issued a travel alert for airports throughout Italy for Thursday, October 24, 2019 through Saturday, October 26, 2019; and tickets may be reissued for rebooked travel, but no specific final date has been given. If you are affected, call the airline for specific information.
- easyJet has issued a travel alert for airports throughout Italy for Friday, October 25, 2019; and tickets may be reissued for rebooked travel, but no specific final date has been given. If you are affected, call the airline for specific information.
Summary
Other airlines which serve Italy may also issue travel alerts — and travel waivers — for Friday, October 25, 2019 as a result of the strikes — but remember that in accordance with European Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, passengers who are affected by the strikes will not be entitled to claim for compensation as a result of the industrial action.
Although your flight may not be affected, if you have travel plans to, from or within Italy on that day, you may want to consider changing them.
Photograph ©2014 by Brian Cohen.
