Delayed or cancelled at Rome Fiumicino: what you are owed

Italy's air transport strikes follow published rules, set by the strike guarantee commission (Delibera 14/387) under the law on essential public services. A strike must be announced at least 12 days ahead, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport publishes the calendar of strikes called, by sector and airport. Flights scheduled to depart between 07:00 and 10:00 and between 18:00 and 21:00 must operate even on a strike day, and the aviation authority ENAC publishes a list of other guaranteed flights. A first strike in a dispute can last at most 4 hours. No strikes are allowed in the protected periods: 18 December to 7 January, 24 April to 2 May, 27 June to 4 July, 27 July to 5 September, 30 October to 5 November, the week around Easter, and around national elections.

Whether a strike pays depends on who walks out. A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff (security, handling) is outside the airline's control and can count as an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation may not be due, though meals, a hotel if needed, and a refund or the earliest available new flight still are. A strike by the airline's own pilots or cabin crew over their pay or conditions is not extraordinary, so compensation is due. French air traffic control strikes reach Rome too: EUROCONTROL found the French strike of 3 and 4 July 2025 hit flights in neighbouring countries, most notably Spain, the UK and Italy. A technical fault is generally not extraordinary; bad weather can be, if the airline proves it.

Ask your airline's desk for meal vouchers and, if you are stuck overnight, a hotel. ITA Airways checks in every flight at Terminal 1, along with most European airlines including easyJet and Ryanair; British Airways, the Gulf airlines and the US airlines use Terminal 3. If the airline books your hotel, it also owes you the transfer. The Hilton Rome Airport is joined to the terminals by a covered walkway, and several cafés before and after security stay open around the clock.

Compensation must be paid in money (cash, bank transfer or cheque); you do not have to accept a voucher instead.

If you booked your whole trip on one reservation, for example London to Rome to New York, the delay that counts is the one at your final destination, and the distance is measured from where your journey started to where it ends, not leg by leg. Arrive 3 hours or more late at the end and you are owed compensation for the whole journey, even if the first flight was only an hour late, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Separate tickets are assessed one by one, so a missed self-transfer is not covered.

Claiming yourself is free. Write to the airline that operated the flight with your booking reference, flight number, date and what happened, and ask for the compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004. If it does not reply within six weeks, or its answer does not satisfy you, you can complain to ENAC, the Italian enforcement body, which can sanction airlines but does not recover compensation for you. Before taking a claim to an Italian court, you must first try conciliation through the transport regulator ART's ConciliaWeb platform. ENAC says claims should be made within two years of the flight; claim well within that, as the limit is disputed and some airlines reject claims after six months.

Or let AirHelp do it on a no win, no fee basis: if they win, they keep 35% of the compensation including VAT, plus 15% if court action is needed; if they do not win, you pay nothing. Either way, keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation, receipts for anything you bought while waiting, and the reason for the delay the airline gave you.

New EU rules (Regulation (EU) 2026/2202) apply from 23 October 2027; until then, today's rules apply, including to every flight described on this page.