easyJet pilots' strikes could cause Europe-wide air travel disruption

easyJet pilots represented by ANPAC (National Association of Professional Civil Aviation) FILT (Italian Federation of Transport Workers) and CGIL (Italian General Confederation of Labour) are set to strike for a minimum of four hours on Monday.

Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has alerted travellers that the walkouts are expected to start at 12pm CET (11am UK), with staff from Italian airline Aeroitalia, also due to hit the picket lines.

And as the strikes are under the airlines’ control, passengers affected could receive up to £520 for the inconvenience suffered.

International aviation lawyer Anton Radchenko, who heads-up AirAdvisor, a business that has supported over 400,000 air passengers with compensation claims explains: “Pilot strikes can be hugely problematic for airlines - and expensive too.

“Unlike bad weather which is usually perceived by the courts as extraordinary circumstances and means that airlines don’t always have to compensate passengers for cancelled or delayed flights - airline staff strikes are viewed as within an airline’s control.

“This is because disagreements between airlines and unions can often be settled by improving staff pay or conditions.

And while flights to and from Italy and most likely to be affected next week, it’s possible a ‘domino effect’ caused by the strikes could lead to Europe-wide travel chaos.

The AirAdvisor expert continues: “If a flight departs later than planned, this can have a domino effect as far as other flights’ departure slots are concerned - causing them to take off late too. Strikes like these can have an impact on flights across the world.

“This could just be the start of a turbulent year for airline strikes, with aviation staff and their unions across Europe pushing for better working conditions and improved perks, like pensions. Airline staff strikes tend to become more prevalent in the summer months, when industrial action by employees can have a greater impact on their employers’ operations.

“In August last year, easyJet was forced to cancel around 200 flights to and from Portugal due to a three-day strike by cabin crew.

“If you are due to fly with easyJet or Aeroitalia next week and your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks notice, you may be eligible for between £120 and £520 in compensation. Equally, if your flight is delayed over three hours as a result of airline staff striking, you are likely to be entitled to compensation.

“We also recommend using a free compensation calculator to establish what you might be owed from your airline.”