Jetstar crew have begun a fresh round of industrial action ahead of the NRL Grand Final weekend, a national multi-sector strike is disrupting Italian trains for three hours today, Hurricane Rachel is strengthening behind Hurricane Polo’s remnants to widen a US flash flood threat to more than 150 million people, and Thailand has ordered flood preparations ahead of fresh rain forecast for early next week. Here is today’s wrap of the disruptions affecting travel.
Jetstar workers escalate industrial action ahead of NRL Grand Final weekend
Jetstar ground and cabin crew represented by the Australian Services Union are staging one-hour walkouts from today, refusing to perform some non-essential duties and declining to charge passengers for extra baggage or seat changes, timed to the NRL Grand Final long weekend. The action affects staff at Cairns, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide airports, and follows an earlier round of fee-waiving action on 23 and 24 September. At the centre of the dispute is Jetstar’s offer of a 2.1 per cent pay rise, which the union argues falls short of inflation running above 3 per cent; ASU assistant national secretary Scott Cowen called the offer “a complete insult”. Jetstar has countered with a 3 per cent rise from April 2027 and backpay to April 2026, which the union has rejected, and says contingency plans are in place to limit delays. Agents with clients flying Jetstar over the Grand Final weekend should allow extra time at the airport and confirm flight status before travelling.
National strike disrupts Italian trains for three hours today
Italy is facing a day of multi-sector industrial action today, called by the CSLE union across railways, agriculture, local government, schools, healthcare and other sectors in protest at the cost of living, taxation and wages. Rail services face the heaviest transport impact, with a guaranteed strike window from 11am to 2pm local time, though Trenord has warned of possible disruption to Malpensa Express services in Lombardy and is running replacement buses. It is the first of two national strike days planned for October, with a further general strike due on 30 October. Agents with clients travelling by train in Italy today should check timetables directly with their rail operator and build in extra time around the affected hours.
Hurricane Rachel strengthens behind Polo’s remnants, widening US flood threat to 150 million people
Hurricane Rachel has strengthened to a category 2 storm in the eastern Pacific, with the National Hurricane Center recording sustained winds of around 160 kilometres per hour, and is forecast to become a major hurricane over the next two days as it tracks away from Mexico’s coast into open water. Rachel’s moisture is being drawn north by the jet stream to combine with the remnants of Hurricane Polo, which made landfall in Mexico last week, widening a flash flood threat across more than 30 US states to upwards of 150 million people over the coming week. The combined system is expected to bring its most significant rainfall to the central United States around the middle of next week, following the life-threatening flash flooding Polo’s remnants already triggered across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, including a near-failure at the McLeod Dam in New Mexico that prompted evacuations. Agents with clients travelling through the central and southern United States over the coming week should monitor local conditions and check flight status before heading to the airport.
Thailand orders flood preparations as new rain threatens from 4 October
Thailand’s government has ordered provinces along the Chao Phraya, Tha Chin and Mae Klong rivers to prepare pumps, boats and rescue vehicles ahead of fresh rain forecast for 4 and 5 October, even as floodwaters continue to recede in Bangkok and the national death toll stands at 24. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has directed provinces to assess how much more water they can absorb, while authorities in areas where floodwater is already receding have been told to speed up pumping and clean-up work. More than 1.12 million households and 3.19 million people have been affected by flooding across 29 provinces and Bangkok since mid-September. Agents with clients travelling to Thailand over the coming week should check conditions with their supplier, particularly for itineraries near the country’s major river systems.
