Air strike enters its second day

AIR traffic disruption is worsening as a strike in the sector enters its second day.

At Air France, the company most affected, only half of long haul flights are expected to take off today, and 70% of short and medium-haul ones (including at its subsidiaries Régional and Brit Air).

Yesterday 85% and 75% of flights ran in these categories. Easyjet was also affected, cancelling five flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle, which was the airport with the most flights affected. There were also a number of delayed and cancelled flights at such regional airports as Toulouse, Nantes and Nice. Sometimes bad weather added to the strikes to cause problems, notably at Lyon, where four out of 13 cancellations were due to snow.

There were a number of last-minute cancellations this morning at Charles de Gaulle in particular. In other cases the companies are trying to give some forewarning.

The industrial action, which affects pilots and cabin crew and baggage handlers, is over a bill going through parliament which seeks to impose new rules on the organisation of strikes, meant to help keep services running as smoothly as possible.

It was passed by the National Assembly at the end of last month and is to go to the Senate next week before returning to the MPs.

Air France is suggesting that passengers put off flights between now and Friday. It says it has been sending out thousands of texts and emails giving notice to passengers of cancellations and delays.