Uh Oh

[lsmommy]

You might want to check your insurance, not all policies cover for strikes.

[grandmacani]

We're supposed to fly out the 17 th arriving in Frankfurt on the 18th. Then transfer to venice. Concerned about a glitch. Good thing we don't sail from venice 3 days later. Hope it isn't so.

[bcscot]

You might want to check your insurance, not all policies cover for strikes.

 

I think that we are all right, but you are quite correct; so many people are naive when it comes to insurance. It certainly pays to have a good insurance company and know just what your policy covers and what it doesn't.

[ceba]

strike cancelled

 

Reuters

 

TOP NEWS

European air traffic controllers call off Oct. 10 strike

Fri, Oct 04 10:30 AM EDT

FRANKFURT, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The air traffic controllers union in Europe (ATCEUC) has called off a strike planned for Oct. 10 after the European Commission signalled its willingness to renegotiate plans to liberalise civil airspace.

 

The union has said it opposed the commission's plans to set "unrealistic" targets for air traffic management by 2019 because the goals seek a tenfold increase in flight safety while cutting costs by 50 percent.

 

The ATCEUC, which represents 14,000 air traffic controllers in Europe, said in a statement on Friday that it would renew its plans for industrial action if talks failed to address its concerns.

 

"ATCEUC will not be satisfied just with signs of good will and nice words. We expect clear outcomes and results," it said.

 

A strike would risk disrupting travel across Europe and could hit leading airlines such as Deutsche Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways.

 

ATCEUC represents air traffic controllers in 26 countries including Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

 

 

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[cruisemuse13]

Anyone have any updates about the October 18th strike?

[euro cruiser]

The strike on the 18th is still happening. I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for that one being cancelled, unfortunately.

 

http://www.mit.gov.it/mit/site.php?p=scioperi

[cruisemuse13]

The strike on the 18th is still happening. I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for that one being cancelled, unfortunately.

 

http://www.mit.gov.it/mit/site.php?p=scioperi

 

thank you for the feedback. I saved the website you referenced so I have a reliable source of information.

[2southerncruisers]

It appears that the strike has not yet been cancelled. I talked to Delta and they are not making any changes in flights. We are due to arrive in Rome at 7:30 am. What can we expect to happen if we fly in at this time?

 

Thanks,

Paula

[euro cruiser]

It appears that the strike has not yet been cancelled. I talked to Delta and they are not making any changes in flights. We are due to arrive in Rome at 7:30 am. What can we expect to happen if we fly in at this time?

It's really impossible to predict, which is not what you want to hear, I know.

 

It won't be a ghost town, but there will be long lines for whatever transportation is available.

 

If you can, I would book a private transfer (there are several companies that come highly recommended by CC users, see the threads on this forum) ahead of time.

[2southerncruisers]

It's really impossible to predict, which is not what you want to hear, I know.

 

It won't be a ghost town, but there will be long lines for whatever transportation is available.

 

If you can, I would book a private transfer (there are several companies that come highly recommended by CC users, see the threads on this forum) ahead of time.

Thank you. We have booked a private transfer. Should we expect any issues with the flight landing or getting luggage?

[euro cruiser]

Thank you. We have booked a private transfer. Should we expect any issues with the flight landing or getting luggage?

Yes, unfortunately, you should. Air is listed as one of the sectors that will strike; therefore, I would be prepared emotionally to learn that your flight has been cancelled. If the strike is still in effect, your flight will not even take off.

 

I would use this time to work through alternatives. Would you have been arriving on the day your cruise departs? If so, I'd be looking at alternate locations in Europe you could fly to, then rent a car and drive to Civitavecchia, or I'd look to fly to the first port of call and join the cruise there. You need to know what options are acceptable before you show up at the airport because as polite as the airline customer service folks can be, I've never found them to be particularly creative in finding solutions. You need to tell them what you want them to look for.

 

If you would have been flying in a day or more prior to your cruise, you can choose to fly elsewhere and travel by land, or fly the next day if the airline can accommodate you. One of the downsides of the contracting airline market is that there are very few open seats on flights, so when one flight doesn't go there aren't a lot of places to put the displaced passengers.

[iscreamer1]

Do I need to be worried if I plan to arrive on the 19th?

[texancruzer]

You need to know what options are acceptable before you show up at the airport because as polite as the airline customer service folks can be, I've never found them to be particularly creative in finding solutions. You need to tell them what you want them to look for.

 

Holy smokes..... this is one of the best pieces of advice on this whole board ! When one of our flights to Rome was cancelled - it was a nightmare working with the customer service rep...... we finally got an alternate route but it caused us to miss a whole day in Rome ...... know your options !!!!!

[euro cruiser]

Do I need to be worried if I plan to arrive on the 19th?

Flights arriving on the 19th should be fine, but don't expect to find any empty seats on the plane!

[euro cruiser]

Holy smokes..... this is one of the best pieces of advice on this whole board ! When one of our flights to Rome was cancelled - it was a nightmare working with the customer service rep...... we finally got an alternate route but it caused us to miss a whole day in Rome ...... know your options !!!!!

I could tell you stories you wouldn't believe ... truth is really stranger than fiction. I once spent nearly 30 minutes standing at the check-in desk forcing the agent to run scenarios for me (I'm sure that the poor folks on line behind me were thrilled :o) because her standard response was "we've already re-booked you on a flight next week". This was on a Friday, I was trying to get to Chicago and needed to be there for a 7 AM meeting on Saturday morning, but there was a storm system in the upper midwest and all flights going from New York to Chicago were cancelled. After much pushing and prodding, she finally found a solution that had me going south to Houston, around the storm, then north to Chicago. I didn't land until about 2 AM, but I was there in time for the meeting.

 

Again, the point is to think through what you'd be willing to do and then find out if it's even possible.

[texancruzer]

I could tell you stories you wouldn't believe ... truth is really stranger than fiction. I once spent nearly 30 minutes standing at the check-in desk forcing the agent to run scenarios for me (I'm sure that the poor folks on line behind me were thrilled :o) because her standard response was "we've already re-booked you on a flight next week". This was on a Friday, I was trying to get to Chicago and needed to be there for a 7 AM meeting on Saturday morning, but there was a storm system in the upper midwest and all flights going from New York to Chicago were cancelled. After much pushing and prodding, she finally found a solution that had me going south to Houston, around the storm, then north to Chicago. I didn't land until about 2 AM, but I was there in time for the meeting.

 

Again, the point is to think through what you'd be willing to do and then find out if it's even possible.

 

Yep sounds like our situation ...... they wanted to put us on a flight the next day. I said "nope - find me another way, in fact, find me a few other ways and let me pick one" Which is exactly what I did.

[BarbaraB2]

It's really impossible to predict, which is not what you want to hear, I know.

 

It won't be a ghost town, but there will be long lines for whatever transportation is available.

 

If you can, I would book a private transfer (there are several companies that come highly recommended by CC users, see the threads on this forum) ahead of time.

 

I asked our limo service (whose main business is airport transfers) if he felt that this pending strike would prevent International Flights from landing. He said, "No" they would be allowed to land. I don't know if I'd bank on it, but until the airlines are willing to allow changes, we're at their mercy and must wait things out.

[slidergirl]

I asked our limo service (whose main business is airport transfers) if he felt that this pending strike would prevent International Flights from landing. He said, "No" they would be allowed to land. I don't know if I'd bank on it, but until the airlines are willing to allow changes, we're at their mercy and must wait things out.

 

The last French strike that included airport services and ATC back in June DID affect some flights from the US. Best advice is to be vigilant and keep a daily eye on it. Sorry for all those affected. Just in case, do your due diligence ahead of time - look for any and all possibilities for different flights. Don't wait for the airline to automatically rebook you - get on the phone as soon as you know you are affected and be assertive in getting protected or rebooked on other flights. The better you can assist the agent with specific flights, the better the chance of getting fixed up. Look for out-of-the ordinary combinations and don't demand non-stops.

[BarbaraB2]

I've done a little more reading about this strike and, as I'm interpreting what I read, I think that this one will happen. COBAS, a union that represents a range of workers, is planning major events in the big cities, including a show and march in Rome on the 18th, starting at 10 AM at Piazza Repubblica and going to Piazza San Giovani. http://www.cobas.it/Notizie/18-OTTOBRE-2013-SCIOPERO-GENERALE The protest is against the spending cutbacks planned by the government, rather than a contract negotiation.

 

This strike is being called a "grassroots" movement as it was called for initially by smaller unions, not the big ones that control most of the strikes (the ones that are often cancelled). The workers involved in these unions are not, for the most part, the "front line" folks, but their work is required to support the folks on the front line. However, it's impossible to know if other unions will respect the strike even though they did not call it. At the moment, I don't see any mention of the strike on the CGIL web site (one of the larger unions) nor is CGIL listed on the government site.

 

I would expect this strike to significantly impact your ability to get around on land, in the air, and possibly by sea (ferries, jet boats, etc.). I'm not familiar with the unions

you in the direction of answers regarding whether or not cruise ships will be able to get into port on that day.

 

I think the response I got supports your interpretation of the strike. I wrote to the ministry of transportation and received the following. However, I don't know how to interpret the last line.

 

the only one that can give you any information on strike, 5 days before, is the air company, the airport company or ENAC.

We can say to you that trade unions who have called the strike are autonomous and have a relative representativity

[euro cruiser]

I suspect that the last line refers to the grassroots nature of the unions that have called the strike, and that their reach into the airport/airline sector may not be particularly robust.

 

However, there's just no way to know who will support them in their efforts.

[euro cruiser]

This article published today says that Alitalia workers will go out but does not mention other airlines, nor airport services like air traffic controllers, security services, etc.: http://www.blitzquotidiano.it/cronaca-italia/sciopero-trasporti-18-ottobre-2013-fasce-garantite-alitalia-trenitalia-atac-1687566/

 

For what it's worth, I don't find any mention of this as yet on the FCO web site or in their news feed.

[BarbaraB2]

I suspect that the last line refers to the grassroots nature of the unions that have called the strike, and that their reach into the airport/airline sector may not be particularly robust.

 

However, there's just no way to know who will support them in their efforts.

 

Once again, I think you are correct about their reach into the airline sector not being robust because I also received a second response from the ENAC and it basically indicated that it was not involved in the October 18 strike but referred me to the earlier strike that had been cancelled. At this point, I am cautiously optimistic until I hear otherwise.

Thank you for your feedback!

[euro cruiser]

This article from Corriere della Sera today talks about the entire week of Oct. 12th as "the week of action", with several different types of events planned each day in Rome, culminating with a "people's" event on Saturday the 19th. It should be an interesting time in the capital city.

 

http://roma.corriere.it/roma/notizie/cronaca/13_ottobre_09/movimenti-piazza-19-ottobre-in-20mila-roma-ma-pagateci-biglietto-d98dbd4a-30e9-11e3-b3e3-02ebe4aec272.shtml

[cruisemuse13]

This article from Corriere della Sera today talks about the entire week of Oct. 12th as "the week of action", with several different types of events planned each day in Rome, culminating with a "people's" event on Saturday the 19th. It should be an interesting time in the capital city.

 

http://roma.corriere.it/roma/notizie/cronaca/13_ottobre_09/movimenti-piazza-19-ottobre-in-20mila-roma-ma-pagateci-biglietto-d98dbd4a-30e9-11e3-b3e3-02ebe4aec272.shtml

 

It looks like our visit to Rome will be exciting. I tried reading an English translation of the article, but the translation was difficult to follow. It mentions a procession from a "Square" but I do not know which one and am wondering how close it might be to our hotel.

 

Eurocruiser, do you have an idea where the procession will take place? We are staying close to the Pantheon.

[cruisemom42]

It looks like our visit to Rome will be exciting. I tried reading an English translation of the article, but the translation was difficult to follow. It mentions a procession from a "Square" but I do not know which one and am wondering how close it might be to our hotel.

 

Eurocruiser, do you have an idea where the procession will take place? We are staying close to the Pantheon.

 

If I'm reading it correctly, it starts at Piazza della Repubblica and ends at Piazza San Giovanni (I assume they mean San Giovanni in Laterano). The start would be near Termini train station and the end would be somewhat south of the Colosseum. You can map it on Google maps.