Ten flights to and from Sardinian airports were canceled due to the strike called by CUB Trasporti and USB. Total chaos ensued at Cagliari airport that evening following a protest by Sogaer Security employees, called by UGL. The boarding line stretched from the baggage checkpoints to the street, a long, drawn-out line.
The serious disruption occurred despite Sogaer, the management company of the Mario Mameli Airport, having warned passengers to arrive well in advance of the scheduled flight strike, in view of the announced strike.
Specifically, as shown on Aeroitalia's website, four flights to Cagliari have been cancelled: the 8:30 PM departure for Rome Fiumicino and the 10:30 PM return flight from the capital, and the 8:30 PM Cagliari-Milan flight and the 10:40 PM return flight from Linate.
The airport was brought to a standstill by protests by ground staff, employees of a subsidiary of Sogaer: "The strike is the latest in a dispute that has dragged on for over a year," UGL Transport announced. "The workers, with a sense of responsibility and aware of the impact a strike in the height of the summer season would have, postponed this decision and attempted every form of discussion and dialogue with company management to find minimally acceptable solutions. Unfortunately, the workers' good will and willingness to resolve the dispute was met by a wall of silence, constantly bouncing back with appeals from the workers, exhausted and tested by working conditions that were at the limits of sustainability."
Hundreds of passengers paid the price.
Enrico Fresu