Europe's travel strikes: Flight and train disruption you can expect in December and January

Strikes are a regular occurrence in Europe, as employees withhold their labour to fight for better pay and conditions.

Walkouts are sometimes planned months ahead but others are announced last minute, showing that it always pays to check before you travel.

Luckily, we have gathered all of the strike information together below.

Read on to find out where and when are walkouts taking place.

If your flight or train is cancelled or delayed, you will be entitled to a new ticket or compensation. Read our guide for the full details.

Italy: Nationwide train, tram and plane strikes

Airline, rail and public transport services are expected to be disrupted across Italy due to a planned 24-hour general strike on 13 December.

Ferry services to Sicily and Sardinia and motorway toll booth services may also be affected by delays and cancellations.

The strike, organised by the union USB (Unione Sindacale di Base), is in protest against the government’s economic policies, which union leaders say ‘increase social inequalities’ and ‘discourage deindustrialisation.’

Italy’s major airports will also be impacted by a 24-hour strike of TechnoSky air navigation service staff and a shorter strike by air traffic controllers on 15 December.

These protests are backed by several of Italy’s leading transport unions.

Commuters in Italy’s cities can also expect delays and cancellations due to a four-hour national public transport strike on 10 January, which the FAISA-CONFAIL union has called.

While affected services will vary between cities, a walkout by public transport operators is likely to impact buses, trams, commuter trains, water buses and ferries, and underground metro lines. Long-distance rail service and taxis are not expected to be affected.

Similarly, train services in Florence’s metropolitan areas will be affected by delays and cancellations, and long-distance rail services could also be disrupted on 12 January.

This is due to a walkout by staff at the railway network manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI).

Commuters in Florence may also be affected by tram delays and cancellations on 25 January because of a 24-hour protest by staff at Gest, which operates the trams.

The advice to passengers is to check your transport will be running as scheduled before leaving home.

France: Trains and ports could be disrupted over Christmas

Several planned strikes will affect train travellers from 11 December onwards. The end date has not been fixed, so it’s likely to go on until Christmas.

Both high-speed TGV and international routes - as well as regional TER services - are likely to be impacted.

Railway workers from the country’s four major railway unions are protesting over the French state rail company SNCF’s increasing privatisation of regional railway routes.

While rail timetables are expected to show services affected by the action 48 hours in advance, it’s worth checking on the day you are planning to travel.

Read more about the travel strikes in France in December.

While expected to cause only minimum disruption to passenger services, ports will be impacted by dockworkers striking on 9 and 10 December.

This protest is being organised by the CGT (general confederation of labour) union, which is demanding better pay and retirement plans for workers and for several ports to address ongoing asbestos issues.

France: easyJet workers file indefinite strike notice

French staff at budget airline easyJet filed an indefinite strike notice in protest over the company's plan to close its Toulouse hub. The strike first began in September and runs until 16 December.

Exact dates for walk outs are yet to be announced, but more strike action could hit easyJet operations across the country in the coming weeks.

Across Europe: Finnair flights affected

Finnair has cancelled 300 flights on 9 December and 13 December, which will affect around 33,000 air passengers due to a strike called by the Finnish Air Line Pilots Association. The airline warns that this may also impact flights on either side of these two strike days.

Spain: Nationwide bus strikes

A nationwide bus strike that began in late November is expected to continue in December, causing significant disruption to local and long-distance bus services.

This strike will especially impact regional services in Murcia and Andalusia. This strike has been organised by the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) union to demand better working conditions for drivers and the option to retire early without financial penalty.

This article will be updated as we receive more information.

If you know of a big strike happening in your country that we have missed, we'd love to hear from you via Twitter.