Work absences up at Air France

FIVE hundred Air France planes took off in June without a full complement of cabin crew on board, twice the figure for the same period last year.

Unions blame morale at the company following the crash of flight AF 447 off the coast of South America on June 1.

The number of planes flying understaffed – a situation that Air France refers to as compo-pek – doubled in June compared to the same month in 2008.

A union official told the newspaper Le Figaro: “Morale is really low since the accident and these figures reflect the worries of some of the staff.”

However an Air France spokesman said the increase was due to “ordinary ups and downs.”

The company says security is not at risk – it allows for situations where staffing is slightly down due to unexpected absences and crew on board are compensated with more holiday or pay for their extra work.

Flight AF 447 crashed into the Atlantic on the way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris Charles de Gaulle, with the loss of 228 lives.

Photo: Flying Blue