Winter Olympics Push Italy to Halt Strikes as Salvini Urges Calm

(ITALY) — Italy just blocked a nationwide airport strike planned for February 16, and that matters if you’re flying into Milan, Rome, or Venice during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The walkout is now pushed to February 26, so your flight risk may have shifted, not disappeared.

For travelers, this is less about politics and more about choices. If you’re headed to Olympic venues in Lombardy or the Dolomites, the “best” airline isn’t only about price. It’s about who can reaccommodate you fast, who has partners for backup routings, and who will feed your mileage balance while you’re spending real money.

Italy’s intervention also puts a spotlight on how the country handles transport strikes in high-stakes moments. Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini signed an emergency injunction using Italy’s precettazione mechanism. it compels a postponement and protects minimum service. It does not settle the labor dispute.

What follows is a practical comparison of three common picks for Italy travel right now—ITA Airways, easyJet, and Vueling—through the lens that matters this week: disruption risk, rebooking power, comfort, miles, and your rights under EU rules.

Quick recommendation

If you’re traveling for fixed dates around the Olympics or the Paralympics, choose ITA Airways for the highest odds of same-day rebooking and better protection during cascading delays.

If your dates are flexible and you’re price-driven, easyJet can be a smart buy, but only if you plan for self-rescue.

If you’re connecting onward through Spain or you want a low-cost network into secondary Italian cities, Vueling can work, but it’s the least forgiving when strike-day staffing crunches hit.

ITA vs easyJet vs Vueling: side-by-side comparison

The strike context you actually need (and why the Olympics raised the stakes)

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics run February 6–22, which is the busiest kind of travel period. It’s not just spectators. It’s athletes, media, security teams, and time-sensitive freight.

A nationwide airport strike on February 16 would have hit at the worst moment. That’s why Italy stepped in and “blocked” it. Blocking here means postponing or compelling minimum service. It does not mean labor peace.

That matters because disruption risk can come roaring back on the new date. It can also show up as softer issues first, like longer queues and slower baggage delivery.

What the planned action covered, and how it hits passengers

The postponed action was planned as a 24-hour strike across multiple aviation unions. The roles weren’t narrow. They spanned pilots, cabin crew, ground handling, and airline staff.

Airports named in reporting included Milan Malpensa (MXP), Milan Linate (LIN), Rome Fiumicino (FCO), and Venice Marco Polo (VCE). Airlines caught up in the plans included ITA Airways, easyJet, and Vueling.

When an action is this broad, the passenger pain points are predictable:

• Check-in and bag drop lines move slowly, even for online check-in.
• Boarding can stall because turnaround staffing is thin.
• Bags misconnect more often, especially on tight domestic connections.
• Call centers and chat support get overwhelmed.
• Rebooking lines build at airport desks, then spill into gate areas.

Also, don’t confuse “scheduled” with “operated.” Airlines can keep flights on the timetable until the last moment. Then they cancel in waves once staffing becomes clearer.

Why Salvini could postpone it: precettazione in plain language

Italy’s precettazione is a legal tool used in essential services. Transport is a classic target. It’s designed to protect basic rights, like mobility, and to protect public order during sensitive periods.

In this case, Matteo Salvini used an emergency injunction late on Friday, February 13. The government framed it as protecting public interest during a globally significant event.

This is not a courtroom ruling on who’s right in a labor dispute. It’s more like a “not now” order. The underlying issues can still boil over later, which is exactly what travelers should plan for on February 26 and into early March.

Passenger impact: why Olympic travel corridors are fragile

Italy’s civil aviation regulator warned the disruption could strand a very large number of passengers. Even without repeating estimates, the scale was enough to trigger political intervention.

The Olympic geography makes this worse. Many visitors fly into Milan or Venice, then rely on onward links:

• Short domestic hops to northern airports
• Highway coach transfers
• Trains into the Alps corridor
• Tight connection banks timed around morning and evening peaks

When flights go irregular, the dominoes fall fast. A missed connection can mean no rental cars left. It can mean sold-out hotels in Milan. It can mean a multi-hour delay just to get a new boarding pass.

Italy also treats events like the Olympics as “public importance” moments. That framing is why minimum service and postponements become more likely.

New dates to watch: February 26, a suspended March strike, and the Paralympics tail

The headline change is simple. The strike moved from February 16 to February 26.

That’s after the Olympic closing ceremony, but it’s not a calm week. It sits near the handover period toward the 2030 French Alps Games. It also lands right as many travelers rotate in and out.

Italy also uses protected service bands during strikes. Think of them as morning and evening “must-run” windows. Flights can still cancel inside those bands, but airlines try to preserve skeleton operations.

There’s a second wrinkle. A separate March 7 airport and air traffic control action was suspended too. A new date could appear within the late-February to early-March window.

Finally, the Paralympics run March 6–15, which keeps demand high. Even if you aren’t attending, you’ll feel it in hotel pricing and limited rebooking inventory.

Comparing the three airlines where it counts

1) Price and total trip cost (including bags)

Low-cost carriers often win the headline fare battle. The problem is the “all-in” price during winter travel.

Ski gear, thicker clothing, and bigger carry-ons are common on Milano Cortina trips. That can erase the gap fast once you add:

• Cabin bags that don’t fit “small item” rules
• Checked bags
• Seat assignments for families
• Airport same-day changes

ITA’s fare may look higher, but it can be less painful once you add luggage. It can also be cheaper if it prevents an overnight hotel during rebooking.

2) Rebooking power during a strike week

This is where ITA usually earns its keep.

ITA has a hub structure, especially through Rome Fiumicino, and more options to reroute you onto later flights. It also has more experience handling connecting flows.

easyJet and Vueling run more point-to-point flying. If your flight cancels, the next seat might be tomorrow. That’s fine if you built in buffer days. It’s a disaster if you’re chasing a specific event ticket.

3) Comfort and winter reliability

For short European hops, comfort is about seat pitch, boarding order, and cabin bag stress.

easyJet and Vueling can be perfectly fine. But their model amplifies friction when airports are crowded. Gate checks rise, bins fill early, and families get separated unless they paid for seats.

ITA’s experience can feel more traditional. You’re also more likely to find fare types with flexibility. That matters when February 26 is staring at your itinerary.

4) Miles, points, and elite status implications

If you care about rewards, these three are not equal.

• ITA Airways: You can earn in ITA’s Volare program on cash tickets. Depending on your setup, partner credit options may exist. This can matter for frequent flyers who want status perks and priority help in disruptions.
• easyJet: No classic mileage program. You’re mostly earning credit card points on spend. That’s fine, but it won’t help you get rebooked faster.
• Vueling: It sits closer to an Avios-style ecosystem on some bookings. That can be useful if you already collect those points, but it won’t automatically fix strike-day staffing shortages.

If you’re flying in from the USA, this is a good moment to sanity-check where you’re crediting flights. If you’re chasing status, the wrong booking channel or fare type can mean zero progress.

5) Schengen and US traveler angles

All three airlines are operating within the same border reality. Italy is in Schengen, so most travelers clear immigration once, then move freely inside the zone.

For US travelers, that means two practical things during disruptions:

• If you’re forced to reroute via another Schengen country, you may clear immigration there instead. That can add time during peak arrivals.
• If your return to the USA changes last-minute, protect your timing for long-haul check-in and security. Italy airport lines can balloon on irregular days.

Choose X if…, Choose Y if…

Choose ITA Airways if:

• You’re traveling February 20–March 10 and cannot miss a fixed event.
• You’re connecting to smaller Italian cities, or you need protection on a single ticket.
• You value elite-style handling, lounge access, or mileage earning.

Choose easyJet if:

• Your schedule is flexible and you can absorb a next-day option.
• You’re doing simple point-to-point trips with only a small bag.
• You’re price-first and comfortable arranging your own backup plan.

Choose Vueling if:

• Your itinerary naturally routes via Spain or pairs well with its network.
• You’re traveling light and you’ve built extra time into the trip.
• You collect points tied to its broader ecosystem and the fare is meaningfully cheaper.

What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled during strike disruption

During Italian strikes, “guaranteed service” does not mean normal operations. It means limited staffing and prioritized movements. You should expect longer waits.

Take these steps, in this order:

1. Confirm the operating carrier. Codeshares matter. Your rights and rerouting depend on who operates the flight.
2. Decide: reroute or refund. If you must travel, push for rerouting even if it’s via a different city.
3. Get the disruption reason in writing. Ask for a note in the app, email, or at the desk.
4. Keep every receipt. Meals, hotels, and transport can become reimbursable under duty-of-care rules.
5. Work multiple channels. Use the app first, then phone, then airport desk. Split tasks with a travel partner.
6. Escalate smartly if needed. Start with the airline complaint process. Then go to the national enforcement path where applicable. Consider an OTA dispute only if the airline is non-responsive.

EU261-style protections can apply depending on your routing and carrier. They also vary based on whether the cause is airline staff action or third-party disruption. The compensation tool below spells out the exact thresholds and amounts.

⚠️ Heads Up: If you’re traveling February 26, plan for weak staffing even if your flight operates. Arrive earlier than usual, especially with checked bags.

Nuanced final verdict: don’t buy the cheapest flight for the most expensive trip week

Italy’s strike postponement reduces immediate chaos during the Olympics dates, but it concentrates risk on February 26 and keeps uncertainty alive into early March. That overlaps with the Paralympics demand wave.

If your trip has hard dates, ITA Airways is the safer buy, even at a higher fare. You’re paying for rerouting options and a better shot at arriving the same day.

If you’re chasing a deal, easyJet and Vueling can still be good, but only if you treat them like self-insured tickets. Travel light, pad your schedule, and price out a backup train or hotel before you commit.

The simplest play is this: if you must fly in the February 24–March 4 window, book the itinerary with the fewest connections, land a day earlier than you think you need, and re-check your flight status daily starting Sunday, February 22, with extra scrutiny for Wednesday, February 26.

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Winter Olympics Push Italy to Halt Strikes as Salvini Urges Calm

The Italian government intervened to delay a major aviation strike, shifting the threat from the peak Winter Olympics window to February 26. This move protects immediate Olympic mobility but creates a new bottleneck for the closing period and Paralympics. Travelers are advised to compare ITA Airways, easyJet, and Vueling based on rebooking capabilities and total costs rather than just initial ticket prices during this high-stakes period.