797 From Venezuela, joined Aug 2005, 1821 posts, RR: 26 Posted (6 months 4 days 21 hours ago) and read 3182 times:
Hey everyone,
Last night I landed in FCO at around 18.00 from CDG. As soon as I reached the terminal through the jetway, a disgusting smell could be felt around. Not too sure of what was going on, I look around and find the boarding area smothered in trash - everywhere.
The floor was completely full of all kinds of rubbish - being the most symbolic several banana peels...
Only after seeing this horrific scene I learned that the cleaning/servicing operators were striking... REALLY?
This is just RIDICULOUS and unimaginable. This is the gateway to Italy. What the hell is wrong with the Airport's Administration Aeroporti di Roma?
I currently live in Rome, and all I want to do is run away from here. What I saw yesterday was the worse I've seen in years. Shame on these people. Shame on ADR.
797
[Edited 2012-11-20 05:42:27]
Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous!
CARST From Germany, joined Jul 2006, 706 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (6 months 4 days 19 hours ago) and read 3189 times:
LOL !
I would totally feel like arriving in the most uncivilized country. Unbelievable.
Why don't they just hire some people without jobs for some hours each day to clean the mess? Just for the time the strike goes on. Who is managing that hell of an airport? A pig feeling good between lots of garbage? Crazy photos!
PanHAM From Germany, joined May 2005, 7771 posts, RR: 26 Reply 3, posted (6 months 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 3192 times:
The empty bottles would not last 5 minutes anywhere in Germany. Bottle deposit has something to it and isa a good source of income for some people......
DLPMMM From United States of America, joined Apr 2005, 3531 posts, RR: 9 Reply 4, posted (6 months 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 3188 times:
Quoting CARST (Reply 2): Why don't they just hire some people without jobs for some hours each day to clean the mess? Just for the time the strike goes on.
My guess is that it would be against Italian labor laws.
I39OO From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2012, 43 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (6 months 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 3186 times:
I generally stay clear from the non-trip report pages of this forum, but I feel like an exception is to be made, before the ideologists of Nordic superiority or the mafia connection whistleblower derail this topic any further.
What you're witnessing are the effect of a strike. The contractors responsible for the cleaning and trolley services at FCO have been picketing the airport for the past two weeks and only recently decided to up their game by stopping their daily routines, i.e. cleaning.
The reason? AdR, the society running the airport, is due to change contractors and nearly 70 people are about to get axed. Others will have their contracts changed, for the worse, with wages that can be halved.
That's it. I'd like to remember to our fellow forumers that strikes do happen as well in Europe, as anyone passing through Frankfurt airport some months ago, or through Paris métro some years ago could testify.
AAexecplat From United States of America, joined Sep 2009, 564 posts, RR: 4 Reply 7, posted (6 months 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 3186 times:
Quoting I39OO (Reply 6): I generally stay clear from the non-trip report pages of this forum, but I feel like an exception is to be made, before the ideologists of Nordic superiority or the mafia connection whistleblower derail this topic any further.
What you're witnessing are the effect of a strike. The contractors responsible for the cleaning and trolley services at FCO have been picketing the airport for the past two weeks and only recently decided to up their game by stopping their daily routines, i.e. cleaning.
The reason? AdR, the society running the airport, is due to change contractors and nearly 70 people are about to get axed. Others will have their contracts changed, for the worse, with wages that can be halved.
That's it. I'd like to remember to our fellow forumers that strikes do happen as well in Europe, as anyone passing through Frankfurt airport some months ago, or through Paris métro some years ago could testify.
Right. Except trash is a huge problem in Italy even when there's no strike. Have you ever been to Southern Italy? Naples or any of the smaller towns around it? Disgusting how the folks there pile up trash on the sidewalk for pickup. There is clearly a predisposition for chaos.
797 From Venezuela, joined Aug 2005, 1821 posts, RR: 26 Reply 8, posted (6 months 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 3186 times:
Quoting I39OO (Reply 6): That's it. I'd like to remember to our fellow forumers that strikes do happen as well in Europe, as anyone passing through Frankfurt airport some months ago, or through Paris métro some years ago could testify.
Who cares about the strike and the contract issue? That's an issue exclusively between the Airport and the workers, not us travelers.
Strikes are often warned with a few days of anticipation. The Airport Authority should have prepared for this to happen and contract another company to work during the days of the strike.
These workers flipped all the trash bins on purpose and dispersed all the trash around the terminal. It was more than a strike - it was a sabotage.
I couldn't care less of what reasons these workers had to strike. That's not the flying public's problem. The point is, AdR should have taken care of this differently, and they didn't.
Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous!
davescj From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 2244 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (6 months 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 3186 times:
Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 1): I've been there in the past during garbage strikes. It is not a pleasant experience.
That is how the labor system in Italy works.
While yes, it is a strike.........I would guess that the union DID NOT drop the garbage. hint hint.
As to garbage strikes, they aren't totally uncommon. I know of one in Naples that went on for months (literally, 2m high piles of trash before it was done).
lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10691 posts, RR: 100 Reply 10, posted (6 months 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 3186 times:
Quoting PanHAM (Reply 3): The empty bottles would not last 5 minutes anywhere in Germany. Bottle deposit has something to it and isa a good source of income for some people......
They're onto something there...
Quoting I39OO (Reply 6): The reason? AdR, the society running the airport, is due to change contractors and nearly 70 people are about to get axed. Others will have their contracts changed, for the worse, with wages that can be halved.
Bummer for the axed... oh wait, they went on strike during a bad recession... oops. What were they striking over anyway?
Quoting 797 (Reply 8): Strikes are often warned with a few days of anticipation. The Airport Authority should have prepared for this to happen and contract another company to work during the days of the strike.
Is that legal? One often cannot hire new, but rather have management employees work Janitorial service.
flyerboy1990 From United States of America, joined Jul 2010, 168 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (6 months 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 3187 times:
That's nuts! I feel like this would never fly in the US. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The worst I can think was the recent Chicago teacher's strike.
MIAspotter From Spain, joined Nov 2001, 2273 posts, RR: 26 Reply 14, posted (6 months 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 2836 times:
Something similar happenned a few months agon here in BCN, the cleaning workers spread all the rubbish around the new T1.
Quoting 797 (Reply 8): I couldn't care less of what reasons these workers had to strike. That's not the flying public's problem. The point is, AdR should have taken care of this differently, and they didn't.
Exactly, I never really understand strikes, while I agree and support other´s people right to fight for better working and living conditions, troubling the regular citizens is not the right way to do it, like for example public transport strikes, do you think the high ranks in transport really notices them? will they arrive to their offices late because the bus did not pass by at the time? nope... its the regular public who gets bothered and I don´t think that will help their case.
I am actually flying into FCO this saturday, let´s see what smells welcomes me into Italia... will it be the sweet aroma of a fresh brewed Espresso... or the rotten banana peelings.
SepulTALLICA From Zimbabwe, joined Sep 2009, 188 posts, RR: 0 Reply 15, posted (6 months 4 days ago) and read 2773 times:
Well at least they're giving people a sense of what to expect in and around Rome itself..
I live out in Rieti and the amount of trash piling up on road sides and in the woods is ridiculous.
On a recent drive out to Lago Albano it was a shock to see just how shitty everything has become in general - trash on all sides of the road, hookers every couple of hundred metres (and not the hot ones either ...the groce ones) - noone gives a rat's ass anymore. And then they all complain that its the "crisi" or "il governo"..
Quoting doug_Or (Reply 11): I think its great, now tourists don't have to go to Naples!
CRJ900 From Norway, joined Jun 2004, 2080 posts, RR: 1 Reply 18, posted (6 months 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 2589 times:
Quoting lightsaber (Reply 10): One often cannot hire new, but rather have management employees work Janitorial service.
Yeah, right. Management snobs will rather see the company shut down than roll up their sleeves to do janitorial work. I have witnessed many times managers who have flatly refused to do the dishes or clean up mess or something during strikes or many calling in sick. "I'm a MANAGER, I don't do manual labour things, OKAY??!!" And then they cannot understand why none of the employees like them...
Those who are at strike at FCO have my sympathy, they are probably very low-paid already and work gruelling shifts. And then 70 may lose their job. How do you motivate yourself to go to work when life sucks?
lexer From Italy, joined Sep 2005, 147 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (6 months 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 2566 times:
FCO is a disgrace of an airport and it ruins my mood every time I land there.
I could have sympathy for strikers whose jobs are on the line. But my personal experience even with the cleaners at FCO is very poor - keeping toilets closed for cleaning for long periods (20 minutes) during peak hours is just one example, their utterly unfriendly and couldnt-care-less reactions are another.
But the problem is much broader and the government, local, regional, national, refuse to understand that FCO creates a terrible (first) impression on any traveler, tourist or business. There is simply no service-oriented attitude in almost any of the people who work at FCO, the place looks run down, it's dirty, it's cramped, public transport connections are poor and luggage delivery takes forever.
The airport is well below standard in Europe. It needs a complete management overhaul and some serious investment.
797 From Venezuela, joined Aug 2005, 1821 posts, RR: 26 Reply 20, posted (6 months 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 2374 times:
Quoting Byrdluvs747 (Reply 17): Can you imagine what the bathrooms look like.
I can. I could say there was a nice pile of shit laying on the floor. Not to mention a flood-like avalanche of toilet water everywhere. It is the lowest FCO can get.
Quoting lexer (Reply 19): There is simply no service-oriented attitude in almost any of the people who work at FCO, the place looks run down, it's dirty, it's cramped, public transport connections are poor and luggage delivery takes forever.
THANK YOU! Finally someone backs up my perception of what Italy really is. Customer Service are two words that don't exist in the Italian dictionary. People here couldn't care less... that's how it is.
Quoting lexer (Reply 19): The airport is well below standard in Europe. It needs a complete management overhaul and some serious investment.
And let me tell you that there are NO plans for a revamp. I know some high management workers from AdR and the only thing that's 'cooking' is the adjunct terminal which has taken years to build up. It will be another 5 years before it's done.
There is a project of building a new Northern Terminal, but these people told me this is an ultra-long-term project (+20 years), so let's not get our hopes up. In addition, in the northern side of the airfield a brand-new cemetery was recently opened for business. So instead of creating life for business, the pimps at FCO are creating business from the dead.
797
Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous!
Flighty From United States of America, joined Apr 2007, 7450 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (6 months 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1816 times:
Although collective bargaining is a human right, it can be a human wrong too. It's important to either earn a reputation for good work, or just earn a reputation as a scoundrel and a fool. We can see the latter option was taken here.
FlyDeltaJets From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 1625 posts, RR: 3 Reply 23, posted (6 months 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 1526 times:
It is crazy that there is trash all over the airport but how do we know that the workers were responsible.
Quoting flyerboy1990 (Reply 13): That's nuts! I feel like this would never fly in the US. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The worst I can think was the recent Chicago teacher's strike.
Not from any higher standards we have in the US but weak unions.
DesertFlyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 475 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (6 months 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 1513 times:
Just this year I was at MAD during a strike where it looked at least as bad as this. Protesters actually took shredded paper and threw it all over the airport.
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They're onto something there... 
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