October half term is colliding with one of the most strike-heavy travel windows in recent years. France, Italy, Belgium and a UK regional airport all have industrial action on the calendar. This guide pulls it all together so you can plan around it.
The strike map
- Leeds Bradford Airport. About 130 Unite members (air traffic control, security, customer experience, cleaners) strike from 3:00am Friday 16 October to 6:00am Sunday 18 October, ATC from 6am Friday. Unite says no flights can operate without certified controllers; the airport says it expects near-normal operations. Affects Jet2, Ryanair and Wizz Air. Pay dispute running since December 2025.
- France. Around 36,000 pilots and cabin crew across five unions strike from 00:01 Saturday 17 October to 23:59 Wednesday 21 October (Paris time), over pension reform due 1 January 2027. Covers Air France, Transavia France, Corsair and French-law crews at other carriers, including easyJet France. Overlaps the start of France’s Toussaint school holidays (16 October to 2 November). No airline cancellation schedules yet; expect them 48 to 72 hours before.
- Italy. Friday 16 October is the critical day: a 24-hour easyJet Italy cabin crew strike, a 4-hour ENAV air traffic control stoppage from 13:00 to 17:00, a 24-hour security strike at Venice Marco Polo, and a 24-hour ground-staff strike at Pisa and Florence airports. A five-union crew strike continues on 17 October. Italian law protects flights departing 07:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 21:00 during ATC strikes. Also watch 14 October (Tuscany regional general strike, rail 09:01 to 17:00) and 30 October (Italy national general strike, 24 hours).
- Belgium. A public-sector strike on Monday 12 October is expected to heavily disrupt Belgian trains, buses and metro, though not flights. It follows the 9 October action that saw around 140 flights cancelled at Brussels Airport.
Before you fly
- Check the airline app and manage-booking page before heading to the airport. Airlines often issue free date-change waivers ahead of confirmed strikes; shifting an Italy trip from the 16th to the 15th or 17th avoids the worst day.
- Do not cancel your own ticket before the airline cancels it, or you may weaken your rights.
- Pre-book airport transfers for Florence and Milan on strike days, when the tram and metro airport links are the weak points.
Your rights under UK261
UK261 applies to every flight departing a UK airport regardless of airline, and to flights arriving in the UK on UK or EU carriers. If your flight is cancelled you may choose a full cash refund or rerouting to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, and the airline must rebook you, even onto other carriers. On long delays, duty of care covers meals, hotels, transport and two phone calls or emails. Cash compensation for cancellations notified less than 14 days ahead or 3+ hour delays runs from £220 to £520 depending on distance, unless the cause is extraordinary circumstances. Strikes by ATC, airport security or ground handlers generally count as extraordinary (no cash, but care, rerouting and refunds still apply). Strikes by the airline’s own crew, like the easyJet Italy walkout, may not, so cash compensation could be payable there. Keep boarding passes, receipts and screenshots of cancellation notices.
Backups and monitoring
- Eurostar to Paris and Brussels is unaffected by the French crew strike and is a strong backup for the 17 to 21 October window.
- Coaches (FlixBus, National Express) and re-routing via unaffected airports, such as Manchester or Newcastle instead of Leeds Bradford, are options.
- Travel insurance claims generally need filing within 28 days, so keep receipts.
- Monitor via the airline app, airport travel-updates pages, Flightradar24 or Google Flights, rail operator sites, and fresh news coverage in the 48 to 72 hours before travel.
