UK tourists being forced to 'cancel' Italy holidays due to 'significant unrest'
UK tourists in Italy have been warned to expect disruptions to their holiday and travel chaos amid European Union strikes. Passengers are set to be hit by flight cancellations and delays as staff at several airports including Milan Malpensa to strike.
Strikes set to impact local public transport services, rail travel and airports in Milan and Venice. The Italian media is labelling Friday 10 January a venerdì nero, or "Black Friday", due to series of strikes affecting those commuting or travelling in Italy on the day.
Commuters in Rome, Milan and other cities across Italy face disruption to local public transport services on Friday due to a nationwide four-hour strike. The planned industrial action has been called by the Faisa-Confail trade union in a dispute over pay.
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It will affect bus, subway and tram services, with strike timetables on Friday varying from city to city. In Rome the strike will impact public transport services from 08.30 to 12.30, according to the city website, according to reports.
Anton Radchenko, CEO of air travel compensation specialists AirAdvisor explains: “The Italian aviation industry has faced significant unrest among its workforce in recent months with staff at numerous airports striking, this latest wave of action by baggage handling staff threatens to derail the travel plans of anyone travelling to and from the country. Airports may bring in external staff to replace the striking baggage handlers, however these personnel are often less experienced than regular staff, slowing down the departure process and causing flights to leave later than planned.
“If numerous flights leave late, then this can have a knock-on effect to other flights’ departure slots and things can quickly spiral out of control. Strikes like these don’t just affect flights in the country in which they are taking place, they can impact inbound and outbound flights from across the world.”
Mr Radchenko said: “Pack a change of clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste and any other essentials like phone chargers in your carry-on rather than checked bags in case your hold luggage doesn’t make it on the flight, or gets lost. When strikes are looming, make sure you have your airline's app on your mobile device and sign up for email and SMS updates, to stay informed about how the strikes could affect your travel plans.
“If you find yourself in a position where you’re at the airport and your flight is delayed or cancelled, ask your airline’s staff what caused the delay or cancellation and note down their answer. This will serve as supporting documentation if you choose to file a claim for compensation.
“When your flight is delayed by over two hours, your airline is obliged to offer you food and drink vouchers. In addition, EU law states that air passengers affected by delays and cancellations may be due up to £520 in compensation for the inconvenience caused. Use a to establish what you might be owed as file a claim with as much evidence as you can gather, as soon as possible.”
In the north of the country in Milan, disruption is expected to ATM transport services from 8.45am until beyond midday. Also on Friday 10 January, baggage handlers at Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa and Venice Marco Polo airports plan to stage a 24-hour strike.
There are delays to airport services expected. Separately, railway maintenance workers are scheduled to go on strike for 24 hours, from 21.00 on Thursday 9 January until the same time the next day, with possible disruption to train services.