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Thousands of travellers could see their summer holiday plans thrown into mayhem this weekend due to planned strikes.
Airport workers in Italy will stage a four-hour nationwide strike on 26 July, potentially leading to dozens of flight delays and cancellations.
Demands for improved safety, better working conditions and work-life balance and national contract renewals are driving this industrial action.
Strike action is also taking place at airports across Spain and Portugal, adding to the potential travel chaos.
Where will flights be affected by strikes?
Major airlines such as EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways, Wizz Air, Tui, Volotea and ITA Airways could be affected, as baggage handlers, ground staff and airport workers are expected to walk out at every major Italian airport from 1pm to 5pm on Saturday.
This includes the Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino, Florence, Naples and Venice airports. At Milan Linate airport, Swissport gate services and check-in staff will also strike.
Earlier this month, Italian strikes caused 73 incoming and outgoing flights to be cancelled in one day. This included flights from Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo and Naples.
Spanish flights are also likely to be impacted this weekend, as budget Spanish airline Volotea’s crew and pilots stage a strike on Saturday as well. This could have a widespread impact across key European air travel routes. The airline currently flies to more than 100 European cities.
In Portugal, workers at the former Groundforce, now Menzies Aviation, will strike during the last weekend of July and the last four weekends of August. The strike could particularly affect Lisbon Airport.
The strike by workers at SPdH/Menzies, formerly Groundforce, begins on 26 July at midnight and ends on 29 July at midnight. The protest will be repeated during weekends in August, from 8 to 11, 15 to 18, 22 to 25 and 29 August to 1 September.
Major airports, including Lisbon, will be particularly badly affected.
What can travellers do?
While these upcoming strikes will no doubt cause inconveniences, there are several steps travellers can take to stay prepared and better informed.
This includes checking the Italian Ministry of Transport’s website for official strike information as well as asking specific airlines and airports for the latest updates. Travellers are also advised to confirm the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
If travel plans cannot be changed around strike dates, avoiding peak hours while heading to the airport and arriving with plenty of time to spare can help as well.
Under Italian law, minimum service levels are required during strike action, which ensures that some flights operate as usual. Flights scheduled between 7am and 10am and between 6pm and 9pm usually fall under these regulations and are likely to not be impacted.
The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) also publishes a list of guaranteed flights, which travellers can check for alternative arrangements. Flights to certain islands, such as to and from Sardinia, Sicily and Lampedusa, are often excluded from strikes as well.
Travellers may be entitled to compensation in some cases.
“Under EU Regulation 261/2004, when disruption to a passenger’s journey is caused by an airline’s own employees, such as the planned Volotea staff strike, passengers may be eligible for compensation. This is because instances like these are considered within the airline’s responsibility,” Darina Kovacheva, head of Legal at SkyRefund, said.
She added: “Volotea passengers whose flights are either delayed or cancelled at short notice due to this industrial action may be entitled to compensation of £250–£520 (€286.9-€453.2), based on the distance of their flight.”