Tens of thousands of passengers will be hit by a double whammy today as hundreds of flights are cancelled or delayed today as air staff go on strike in Italy and Finland.
Staff at Italy’s major air traffic control centres in Rome, Milan, Brindisi, and Padua will strike for 4 hours today, between 1pm and 5pm CET. These centres are responsible for controlling all Italian airspace and extended zones in the Mediterranean.
Supporting their fellow workers air traffic controllers at the following airports are also due to go on strike: Rome Ciampino, Ancona, Brindisi, Perugia, and Pescara.
Worst hit will be Italy’s biggest airline Alitalia at its main hub Rome Fiumicino, and others at Milan Linate.
Among the international flights being cancelled by Alitalia are flights to or from Amsterdam Schiphol, Barcelona El Prat, Berlin Tegel, Brussels Airport, Frankfurt Airport, Madrid Barajas, Munich International, Prague Václav Havel and Warsaw Chopin.
Other airlines also cancelling flights to and from Italy today include British Airways, easyJet, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, SAS, and Vueling Airlines.
Meanwhile in Finland, in a show of solidarity with striking post office workers members of the Finnish Aviation Union are also striking today. Post office workers have been on strike for two weeks since the 11th of November.
Finland’s main carrier Finnair will be heavily affected as most flights to and from their base at Helsinki are grounded. Finnair spokesperson Paivyt Tallqvist said on Sunday, “Our current estimate is that we could operate some 120 of our 377 flights scheduled for tomorrow.” (source: Euronews.com)
Any passenger whose flight has been cancelled is entitled to a free rebooking on another different flight as soon as possible. This even includes a seat on a different carrier’s flight.
In the event of a delay, passengers are entitled to food and refreshments and should there be an overnight delay, accommodation at a hotel. Any passenger whose flight arrives over 3 hours delayed at destination may also be entitled to compensation and can check our flight checker for more details.
Written by
William Mingozzi
After completing his studies in the IT/Science Computer Science major, William left his native Ireland and moved to Europe. He spent 15 years living in many different places, including Paris, Madrid, Berlin and Warsaw. Privately, a lover of the cinema, crosswords and books, which he reads whenever he has the opportunity.