Thousands of passengers across Europe have been stranded because of a strike by air traffic controllers and flight attendants in Italy.
Thousands of passengers across Europe have been stranded because of a strike by air traffic controllers and flight attendants in Italy.
British Airways, Lufthansa, Iberia and other airlines said they had cancelled dozens of flights to and from Italy.
British Airways, Lufthansa, Iberia and other airlines said they had cancelled dozens of flights to and from Italy.
Among the stranded were some 7,000 AC Milan fans travelling to Athens for Wednesday's Champions League final.
Among the stranded were some 7,000 AC Milan fans travelling to Athens for Wednesday's Champions League final.
The strike is taking place from 0800 GMT to 1600 GMT as a result of a row over contract negotiations.
The strike is taking place from 0800 GMT to 1600 GMT as a result of a row over contract negotiations.
Flight attendants of Italy's national carrier, Alitalia, are also on strike.
Flight attendants of Italy's national carrier, Alitalia, are also on strike.
They are demanding that rules regulating the number of crew members and the hours of rest between flights be observed to the letter.
They are demanding that rules regulating the number of crew members and the hours of rest between flights be observed to the letter.
Strikes, competition from low-cost competitors and high fuel costs have plagued Alitalia, which has cancelled a total of almost 400 flights scheduled for Tuesday as a result of the action.
Strikes, competition from low-cost competitors and high fuel costs have plagued Alitalia, which has cancelled a total of almost 400 flights scheduled for Tuesday as a result of the action.
About 30 flights were cancelled on Monday because of the rule-book protest, according to reports in Italy.
About 30 flights were cancelled on Monday because of the rule-book protest, according to reports in Italy.
And a strike by Alitalia flight attendants on 3 May forced the airline to cancel 350 flights.
And a strike by Alitalia flight attendants on 3 May forced the airline to cancel 350 flights.
A selection of your comments:
My parents are currently in Italy and were due to fly out of Rimini today at 10.25am.I recieved an e-mail from Ryanair at 9.00pm last night informing me that their flight had been cancelled.I then tried to book them onto another flight but all phone lines closed at 5.45pm and did not re-open until 9.00am the next day.I think this is discracefull and should not be allowed to happen. My parents are now stranded in Italy until Saturday as there are no flights home until then!!!Paula Glass, Raunds, Northants
I tried to get out of both Rome main airports with no luck. FCO is like a ghost town. Glad to say however that Ryanair published all the contact information for the Italian ATC authority 'just in case' passengers wishe to give then their opinion of their actions!Julian, Dublin, Ireland
My fearless boss was able to fly from Paris to Rome owing to having a scheduled landing moments before the beginning of the strike. I, however, was scheduled to land on my voyage to Rome from Madrid moments after the beginning of the strike and was unfortunate to miss our work-meeting. Unfortunately, for a Frenchman, my boss had a hard time understanding that while I enjoyed missing the meeting, this was not my fault. All because a taxi driver told him the strike would be over by 6pm, he had me spend two hours calling around looking for flights this evening. What happened to the days when we just shook our heads and laughed at the Italians and French? They're attempting to inflict their neurosis on the rest of us!Bill Stettner, Madrid, Spain
The strike was announced in an Alitalia news release dated 17th May 2007. Why was it not until last night, on the eve of the strike, that BA (and presumably other airlines) told their passengers booked on flights to Rome. The strikers are causing the problem but the airlines knew about it days ahead of time and did not have the courtesy to share that news with their customers.John Levins, Rome, Italy
I was due to fly on business from Heathrow to Milan on 22 May. I had booked on British Airways and received a text the previous evening informing me of the flight cancellation. I rebooked that evening on Alitalia and travlled to Heathrow on 22 May for the 0735 flight. However, it was only at check-in that we were informed all flights were cancelled and there was total confusion. The queue for the Alitalia sales desk was so long it took over an hour to get to the front. One member of staff gave out fliers with a number to call and when you called it the office was closed!Andrew Elvin, Chelmsford, Uk
Alitalia should be closed down, it has never made money and always been helped out by the tax payer, its time to stop.Roger Italy, Genova.Roger, Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy
I was stranded for multiple hours due to the strikes my child suffered greatly due to the lack of services available to him. I am outraged at the lack of consideration for we passengers who pay our taxes and don't expect to have this kind of inconvenince. I expect lots of money.Rodrigo Dominguez, Coventry
Have you been affected by the strike? Use the form below to share your experiences:
Have you been affected by the strike? Use the form below to share your experiences:
