Handling staff at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Verona Villafranca and Venezia Marco Polo announced a 24-hour strike, while staff at Lamezia Terme airport, Crotone Sant’Anna and Reggio Calabria airport said they would walk out for two hours, from 10am to midday.
Cabin staff at Air Dolomiti – a subsidiary of Lufthansa which operates a number of routes from northern Italy to Germany and vice versa – planned to strike for 24 hours on Tuesday, whereas staff at budget carrier Wizz Air planned a four-hour strike, from 1pm to 5pm.
Scheduled flights from both airlines may experience delays and/or cancellations during the day, though some services are guaranteed to operate as normal under national strike laws.
The protests 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.
Italy’s flag carrier ITA Airways said in a statement that it had been forced to cancel 24 flights – of which 23 were scheduled for Tuesday – headed to or departing from Milan Linate or Venice Marco Polo. 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 Sunday, June 2nd.
Further cancellations couldn’t be ruled out as the company advised anyone who’s meant to be travelling with them on Tuesday 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 Tuesday morning. In an update on its website, Air Dolomiti advised passengers to check the status of their flight.
Which flights are guaranteed?
Under Italian law, 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 Tuesday, according to Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority (Enac).
Additionally, Enac said Air Dolomiti will guarantee the normal operation of any flight scheduled to depart before the start of the walkout, while Wizz Air is expected to guarantee all inbound intercontinental flights.
You can see a full list of guaranteed flights for both airlines on Enac’s website.
All passengers planning to fly to or from Italian airports on Tuesday 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.
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