Flight crews employed by easyJet in Italy began a 24-hour nationwide strike at 00:01 on 16 October after talks over rostering, fatigue management and salary alignment broke down. The walk-out, organised by the USB Lavoro Privato union, affects all bases—including Milan Malpensa, Venice Marco Polo, Naples Capodichino and seasonal operations in Sardinia. easyJet pre-emptively cancelled around 20 % of its Italy programme, consolidating frequencies on key business routes such as Milan-London and Milan-Berlin and protecting early-morning connections to intercontinental hubs. Passengers booked on domestic sectors are the hardest hit: multiple Naples-Milan and Venice-Rome rotations were pulled, and some flights have been re-timed outside the official strike windows to ensure crew legality. Under Italian law, a minimum-services regime obliges airlines to operate certain “protected” flights; easyJet has published a list of guaranteed departures and offered free transfers or refunds for affected customers. Airports have reinforced information desks, but ground-handling queues are expected as rerouted travellers recheck bags or seek accommodation vouchers. Rail operator Trenitalia reports a 12 % surge in same-day bookings on the Milan-Rome Frecciarossa corridor as travellers switch modes. For employers with last-minute travel needs, alternatives include Alitalia successor ITA Airways—which is not party to the dispute—and high-speed rail, which covers Milan-Rome in just under three hours. Corporate travel teams should remind staff that EU261 compensation may apply if re-routing extends journeys by more than three hours and that strike-related taxi and hotel receipts must be retained for reimbursement.
Source: Sky TG24
