Experts have warned of delayed or cancelled flights as well as ‘large-scale’ disruption as two huge EU travel strikes are expected to take place on the exact same day
Brits have been issued a stark warning ahead of a slew of EU travel strikes taking place next week. It comes as easyJet pilots and Italian baggage handlers have planned a mass walkout for the second time this year.
A 24-hour strike is slated to take place on Monday, March 24 – starting at midnight – creating a ‘dual threat’ for tourists. The strikes, which have been backed by several powerful European unions including ANPAC (National Association of Professional Civil Aviation), FILT (Italian Federation of Transport Workers) and CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour), will see both low-cost carrier pilots and Italy’s largest airport handler associations Assohandlers protest together.
Assohandlers, which works with companies including eayJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air, represents baggage handlers and ground staff at major airports including Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino, Naples, Catania and Venice. In a statement sent to the Mirror, Anton Radchenko, CEO at AirAdvisor warns the protest is likely to lead to flights being cancelled and ‘large-scale disruption’.
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“easyJet is in a particularly troublesome position, with not only its pilots striking, but also staff at one of its key handling partners in Italy set to walk out,” he said. “When pilots strike, carriers may draft in standby or management pilots that belong to unions that aren’t striking, however this is a complicated process that alone doesn’t prevent certain services from being cancelled. There is legislation in place to compensate air passengers affected by airline strikes – and in the case of the easyJet industrial action, the airline will owe you compensation if your flight is delayed by more than three hours or cancelled.”
Depending on the distance of your disrupted journey, you could be entitled to compensation of up to £520. You can find out exactly how much money you will be eligible for here.
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“easyJet is obliged to pay up for flights cancelled as a result of their own staff striking as the courts consider the inconvenience to be within the airlines’ control – or in other words, avoidable,” Anton added. The ace therefore recommends any Brits travelling to or from Italy on March 24 download their airline’s app and sign up for email and SMS alerts.
“Keep an eye on your carrier’s website and social media channels too,” he said. If you are hit with delays, you can work out your compensation using AirAdvisor’s calculator.
Will you be impacted by the strikes? Email liam.gilliver@reachplc.com for a chance to share your story
