Nonrevs Beware...Severe Weather ATL, CLT, Alitalia Strike in Italy

Italy: Passengers flying to, from and within Italy have experienced severe delays and cancellations on a day involving widespread strikes by aviation workers, with more industrial action planned for the end of the Easter holidays. Alitalia staff are striking in disputes on pay and conditions, along with groups of ground staff the length and breadth of Italy.

Hundreds of flights on the Italian national airline have been cancelled, amounting to 60 per cent of the day’s schedule.
Alitalia is telling passengers: “The airline has immediately taken special measures to minimise inconvenience to its customers, by rebooking as many of the passengers affected by cancellations as possible on the first available flights.” But with many services cancelled, including multiple flights to New York and other long-haul destinations, it could take days to get passengers where they need to be.

Flights from Heathrow and London City to Milan and Rome were among those cancelled. Because crews and aircraft will be out of position on Thursday, Alitalia has already cancelled more than 50 additional departures — including a morning service from Heathrow to Rome. The “strike calendar” published by Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport shows a vast number of impending strikes by transport workers. On Thursday, many bus drivers in the Lazio region surrounding Rome will strike, followed by their counterparts in Sicily, the Naples area and Brescia.

ATL: UPDATES:

• All of metro Atlanta is under a tornado watch until 1 p.m. Wednesday
• Severe weather has forced a ground stop at ATL
  
• Severe Weather Team 2 says the storms will come in waves all day and into Wednesday night
• Hail as large as 4 inches has been reported in the storms
• Play suspended at the Masters in Augusta, spectators asked leave and seek shelter..