Strikes to disrupt air travel in Italy on 13 June

Italy faces airport strikes and easyJet walkout on Saturday. Passengers travelling to and from several Italian airports on Saturday 13 June face potential delays and cancellations as a result of a series of separate but simultaneous strikes. The industrial actions affect EasyJet flight crew, air traffic control staff at Verona, ground handling workers at Milan Linate, and airport operations personnel at Cagliari. EasyJet cabin crew and pilots The most wide-ranging action involves budget airline easyJet whose Italy-based pilots and cabin crew are striking for 18 hours, from 06.00 until midnight. The national strike has been called by five trade unions - Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl, Uiltrasporti, Ugl Ta, and Anpac - as well as by USB Lavoro Privato for cabin crew. At the centre of the dispute is the renewal of the collective labour agreement. This is the fourth time easyJet workers have walked out, following three earlier strikes on 31 January, 26 February, and 11 May, and four failed conciliation procedures. The Uiltrasporti union stated that industrial relations have collapsed and described the action as 18 hours to make clear that our dignity is not for sale. Verona, Linate and Cagliari At Verona airport, ENAV air traffic control staff - mobilised by Fast Confsal Av Unica and Uiltrasporti - will also stop work for the full 18-hour period from 06.00 to midnight, which may cause knock-on delays to departures and arrivals. At Milan Linate, the impact is expected to be more limited: Sky Services staff (called out by USB Lavoro Privato) operating in the western apron area will strike for four hours only, from midday to 16.00. At Cagliari's airport, operational staff employed by the airport management company Sogaer will strike from 06.00 until midnight. Protected flight windows and passenger rights Italy's civil aviation authority, ENAC, has confirmed that two protected time windows apply across all the actions, during which flights must operate as normal: 07.00-10.00 and 18.00-21.00. In addition, island connections with only a single daily frequency are guaranteed regardless of the strike - specifically the Malpensa-Lampedusa, Naples-Palermo, and Naples-Olbia routes. All domestic flights airborne at the moment the strike begins are guaranteed to reach their destination, and international flights with an estimated arrival time within half an hour of the start of the strike will also operate normally. Passengers whose flights are cancelled are entitled to choose between a full refund of their ticket or rebooking on the next available service to their destination. Travellers are advised to check their flight status via their airline's official channels on the evening before and on the morning of departure, and to retain all communications received. Photo credit: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com