Air France staff plan Good Friday walkout

The Easter weekend plans of thousands of people look set to be dashed as Air France pilots, cabin crew and ground staff stage a third walkout on Friday, March 30, in an ongoing dispute over pay.

The strike, on Good Friday, is the second in a week. An earlier walkout has already been announced for March 23, as members of 10 unions step up their pay demands. Meanwhile, a decision on further action is expected at a meeting scheduled for March 22.

Unions are demanding a 6% pay rise across the board, saying their members should share in the airline's improved earnings after a wage freeze imposed since 2011.

They have rejected an offer of a 1% pay increase paid over two instalments, with a range of additional incentives, as "small change".

The first strike, on February 22, led to the grounding of half of the airlines long-haul flights in and out of Paris, and disruption to medium- and short-haul services.