British holidays at risk as Ryanair and EasyJet forced to axe flights due to French air traffic control strikes – is YOUR flight affected?
Tens of thousands of passengers have had their travel plans disrupted after easyJet cancelled 274 flights and Ryanair axed 170 due to French air traffic control strikes.
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair said the cancellations today and tomorrow will affect flights to and from France, including families travelling abroad for summer holidays.
But most of its 30,000 disrupted passengers are being affected by cancellations to flights over French airspace to countries such as the UK, Greece, Spain and Ireland.
Some 15 Ryanair flights arriving at or departing from London Stansted Airport have been cancelled while others have been axed at Manchester and Edinburgh.
Hundreds of flights operated by other airlines have been cancelled in France today, with the strike by two French unions also affecting air traffic across western Europe.
In France, half of all flights in Nice and a quarter of flights at Paris Orly and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, have been cancelled.
Easyjet said it would cancel 274 flights today and tomorrow, while Air France adapted its flight schedule and British Airways was using larger aircraft to mitigate disruption.
Lufthansa reduced its schedule for the two days, affecting some flights in and out of Nice, Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Montpellier airports – while Luxair warned that ‘additional delays and schedule changes are possible across other destinations’.
Disruption is expected to worsen tomorrow on the eve of the start of the European summer holidays, which is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Passengers carry their luggage at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris today
Passengers gather inside Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport during the strike today
Passengers are facing widespread disruption at Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport today
Passengers stand inside Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport during the air traffic control strike
Passengers carry their luggage at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport during today’s strike
Passengers look at flight information boards at Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport today
French air traffic controllers launched the two-day strike today to protest understaffing and ‘toxic management’.
One passenger, Nadia Rivet, a 51-year-old bank employee, told AFP: ‘We’re trying to stay positive, there are worse things, but it’s annoying.’
What should you do if your flight is disrupted due to the ATC strikes?
By NICKY KELVIN
The two-day strike by French air traffic controllers will cause numerous disruptions for many travellers planning to jet abroad for the start of the peak summer holiday season.
My advice to travellers who are due to fly in the next few days is to keep an eye out for any correspondence from their airline provider.
Most airlines will try and book passengers on alternative flights, however this won’t be possible for everyone and so it is important to stay on top of the latest updates and announcements.
For cancelled flights, passengers will more than likely be entitled to a refund, but they are unlikely to be able to claim additional compensation as the strikes will be deemed outside of the airlines’ control.
Here are my top tips for what passengers should do:
- Check your flight before travelling. In the week and days before, just to make sure they haven’t cancelled the operations due to the issues at the terminals. There are a number of websites which help with this, including FlightRadar, which will allow passengers to locate their aircraft and where it is located into the run up to their departure. Also, X is actually a great resource to see what it’s like live on the ground in the airport, to see if there are huge queues or to see how the situation is developing.
- When travelling to the airport, leave plenty of time to get through security. However, be mindful that arriving too early could potentially cause excessive crowds in the terminal. Leaving three to four hours for long-haul flights is always prudent.
- Travellers should be prepared for delays at even at priority security lanes. Being efficient at security check points is more important than ever. Travellers should be ready to remove laptops and other electrical items from bags which need to be scanned individually and ensure they are only carrying liquids of 100ml or less. All liquids should be under 100ml and should all fit into one of the small, clear plastic bags which are issued at the airport but if passengers can have the bags prepared ahead of time, either at home or before they join the queue at security, then they can simply place items in the trays as required and this reduces the chance of their bags getting searched and causing additional security checks which causes significant additional delays for both that passenger and others behind them.
- Try and travel with hand luggage only, as you will avoid further queues to check in and on arrival waiting for hold luggage.
- Can you look at postponing your holiday to another time? Check the provider you’re travelling with’s terms and conditions.
NICKY KELVIN is editor at The Points Guy. For more of his tips, click here
She was planning to spend six days in the French capital but her flight from the south-western city of Pau was cancelled this morning.
‘Everyone has the right to strike, but it’s punitive. Air traffic controllers aren’t the worst off,’ Ms Rivet said, adding she hoped to have more luck tomorrow.
Other passengers tried to take the disruptions on the chin.
‘Striking is a right,’ said Carol Jelic, a 66-year-old Canadian travelling to Stuttgart told AFP at Paris CDG. ‘We can’t lose that right. But it does inconvenience.’
Eric Nouen, a 60-year-old travelling to Montpellier from French Guiana, a region of France in South America, said he was not going to complain.
‘Right now, everyone could go on strike. Everyone has a reason right now.’
Travel experts said delayed passengers should check their insurance policy to see if it covers them for such events – although they are unlikely to be able to claim compensation from the airline.
Alvaro Iturmendi, Confused.com travel insurance expert, told MailOnline: ‘If you are due to fly in this region over the next couple days, the best thing to do is to keep up to date with your airline, as they’ll issue any announcements of delays or cancellations.
‘And even if your flight looks unaffected, it’s always best to still leave plenty of time to get to the airport in case of any delays or queues.
‘As these strikes are from airport staff, it’s unlikely you will be able to claim compensation for any delays or cancellations as a result. But if your travel insurance policy covers you for such events, then you may be able to reclaim any costs this way.
‘Check your travel insurance policy to see if it covers strike-related delays or cancellations, especially if the strikes were announced before you bought your ticket.’
Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at MoneySuperMarket, added: ‘Under EU law, you may be entitled to a refund for your flight from the airline, but you may also be able to reclaim other costs, such as accommodation, on your travel insurance.
‘If your flight is delayed your airline has an obligation to offer you food, drink and accommodation depending on the length of delay.
‘You would only be eligible for extra compensation if you are made aware of strikes less than 14 days before the flight, as strikes are classed as ‘extraordinary circumstances’ with them not being the airline’s responsibility – unless it is their own employees, i.e. pilots or airline staff.’
France’s civil aviation agency the DGAC has asked airlines to cancel some of their flights to ensure there are enough controllers on duty.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary renewed calls on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to take ‘urgent action’ to reform European Union air traffic control (ATC) services in light of the disruption.
Mr O’Leary said: ‘Once again, European families are held to ransom by French air traffic controllers going on strike.
‘It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike. It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.’
Ryanair has long-campaigned for an overhaul of ATC services across Europe.
It wants the EU to ensure ATC services are fully staffed for the first wave of daily departures, as well as to protect overflights during national ATC strikes.
‘These two splendid reforms would eliminate 90 per cent of all ATC delays and cancellations, and protect EU passengers from these repeated and avoidable ATC disruptions due to yet another French ATC strike,’ Mr O’Leary added.
Also today, easyJet said it had made 124 cancellations in advance for today and are making 150 cancellations in advance of tomorrow, across its European flight programme. This is out of 1,857 flights planned to operate today.
An easyJet spokesman told MailOnline: ‘The national strike action by French air traffic controllers today is impacting all airlines operating to and from French airports and using French airspace.
‘As required by the French authorities (DGAC) easyJet proactively cancelled some flights in advance and customers were contacted directly with options to transfer to another flight for free or a refund.
‘As this action could result in further disruption to airline’s flying programmes, we advise all customers travelling on July 3 or 4 to check the status of their flights on our Flight Tracker online for the most up to date information. While this is outside of our control, we will do all we can to minimise the impact of the strike action.
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‘On behalf of our passengers we are extremely unhappy with the strike action, particularly given the current performance of French ATC which has been the leading cause of airspace delays in Europe this summer.
‘Long term solutions must be found for our customers and crew who suffer repeated disruption.’
And a British Airways spokesman said: ‘Like all airlines, due to industrial action by French Air Traffic Control, we’ve had to make some adjustments to our schedule.
‘This is outside of our control, and we’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their travel plans. Our teams are working to get our customers to their destinations as quickly as possible.’
MailOnline understands BA is using larger aircraft wherever it can to help accommodate customers from flights the airline has been forced to cancel.
Airlines for Europe (A4E), an industry association which includes Ryanair, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways and EasyJet, described the action as ‘intolerable’.
According to sources, 270 air traffic controllers out of a total workforce of around 1,400 went on strike.
Passengers carry their luggage at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris today
Empty check-in desks inside Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in France today
Passengers look at the departures information board at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport today
Passengers at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport during the air traffic controllers’ strike today
Passengers carry their luggage at Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris today
France’s second-largest air traffic controllers’ union, UNSA-ICNA, launched the action to demand better working conditions and more staff.
The union is protesting ‘chronic understaffing’, the planned introduction of a clock-in system, outdated equipment and ‘toxic management practices that are incompatible with the requirements of calm and safety’.
‘The DGAC is failing to modernise the tools that are essential to air traffic controllers, even though it continues to promise that all necessary resources are being made available,’ UNSA-ICNA said in a statement.
‘The systems are on their last legs, and the [air traffic control] agency is constantly asking more of its staff to compensate for its difficulties.’
It was joined by the third largest union, USAC-CGT, which said the DGAC had failed to comprehend the frustration felt by controllers.
The DGAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the trade unions’ concerns.
Their complaints echo grievances expressed by air traffic controllers in the US over outdated infrastructure, dramatic staffing shortfalls and failing technology.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot called union demands ‘unacceptable’ and said carriers would lose ‘millions of euros’ as a result.
‘Constantly choosing dates that will cause the most inconvenience to passengers does not seem to be the right approach,’ he said today.
The main air traffic controllers’ union, SNCTA, had no plans to join the strike.
Airports in the south of France were hit the most, with 30 per cent of flights cancelled in cities including Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier.
Air France said it had been ‘forced to adapt its flight schedule’ without specifying the number of cancellations, but stressed that its long-haul network was not affected.
Passengers wait for information at Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport today
Planes are seen on the Tarmac of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris today
A flight information board inside Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris today
The air traffic control tower of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris is pictured today
Passengers gather inside Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport during the strike today
The air traffic control tower of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris is pictured today
Planes are seen on the Tarmac of Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport in Paris today
By mid-morning today, flights were experiencing significant delays, including an average of 1.5 hours for arrivals and 1 hour for departures in Nice, France’s third-largest airport.
Tomorrow, the situation is expected to become even more tense at Paris airports and Beauvais, where the DGAC has ordered a 40 per cent reduction in the number of flights.
This morning, the Eurocontrol monitoring agency warned airlines of ‘significant’ delays in the airspace managed by the air traffic control centres in Marseille, Brest and Reims.
Some 29,000 commercial flights were scheduled for today in Europe, said Eurocontrol.
Business aviation, particularly in Nice and Le Bourget near Paris, has also been significantly affected, sources said.
The DGAC asked airlines to cut one in four flights in and out of Paris airports and almost half of flights out of the capital tomorrow.
Elsewhere, airlines were asked to reduce flights by 30 to 50 per cent.
‘Despite these preventative measures, disturbances and significant delays are to be expected at all French airports,’ the agency said, urging passengers to change their flights if they were able to.
Meanwhile Ryanair said yesterday it had been hit by the recent conflict in the Middle East, and it cancelled more than 800 flights last month.
It is among those to have cancelled and rerouted flights amid the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as continued attacks in Gaza.
Last week, flights were halted at Dubai airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as passengers were told to expect further delays and cancellations.
Ryanair said it still operated more than 109,000 flights in June, indicating that fewer than 1 per cent of flights were affected.
The Ireland-based business carried 19.9 million passengers in June, representing a 3 per cent increase on the same month last year.
