Cabin crew from Ryanair and Vueling will go on strike across Italy on October 1.
Cancellations and disruptions are possible as pilots and flight attendants strike for better pay and working conditions.
The strike, coordinated by the Italian unions Filt Cgil and Uiltrasporti, is also a protest against the recent layoffs of 17 Vueling flight attendants based in Rome.
Ryanair employees will strike for 24 hours, while Vueling employees will strike for four hours, from 1pm to 5pm.
Why are Italian airline employees on strike?
Staff at Vueling and Ryanair are on strike to demand better working conditions. Similar walkouts occurred in June and July of this year.
According to a union statement, “Italian workers (deserve) contracts that guarantee decent working conditions and salaries that are at least in line with the minimum wages provided for in our country’s national air transport contract.”
Vueling was chastised by the union for firing 17 “dedicated and professional” flight attendants at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. Union representatives also demanded that “mothers with small children” be exempted from night shift work.
Ryanair dismissed the unions as “irrelevant,” assuring customers that there would be no disruption to flights.
“Ryanair expects no impact on our 3,000 daily flights as a result of planned strike action on Saturday, October 1st by three tiny and irrelevant unions who don’t represent Ryanair staff, are not recognized by Ryanair, and have previously held unsupported strikes that have had no impact on Ryanair’s operations,” the company said “a spokesperson for the airline stated
“Ryanair has already reached Collective Labour Agreements with three major, representative unions in Italy (FIT CISL, ANPAC, and ANPAV) that cover all of our Italian crew and provide accelerated pay restoration, future pay increases, and other benefit improvements for our employees.”
Vueling has been reached out to for comment.
This is the latest in a string of strikes this summer that have grounded planes across Europe.
Last week, Italian airline ITA was forced to cancel flights due to a 24-hour walkout by unionized ground staff.
Is my flight going to be canceled, and am I entitled to compensation?
A spokesperson for Ryanair stated that no cancellations are expected. Vueling has yet to confirm whether any flights will be canceled as a result of the strike.
Flights are guaranteed under Italian civil aviation law from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., even during strike action.
However, airlines may be forced to cancel some flights.
Don’t be alarmed if your flight is delayed or canceled. Under EU regulation EC 261, which protects all flights within the EU, you are entitled to compensation.
This means that your airline is required to compensate you if your flight is significantly delayed, typically by 3 hours or more.
Get compensation for airline strikes