Italy Travel Impacted by Strike

The BBC is reporting that millions of Italian trade union members are believed to be taking part in a day-long strike against the government's latest austerity measures that will make it easier to dismiss workers. CGIL, Italy's largest union federation, reportedly called the general strike, and is demanding stronger action against tax dodgers and continuing job protection.

Flights have been canceled, trains and buses are stationary, and government offices have been shut across Italy. According to BusinessWeek, close to 50 percent of trains, most of them regional, were halted and Rome’s two metro lines and local commuter trains were shut down.

Hundreds of people were stranded at airports in the capital and Milan as flights were delayed or canceled. Alitalia said it canceled some domestic and international flights and Ryanair said it canceled 200 flights to and from Italy, affecting some 35,000 passengers.