[Anonymous]

[BigDog.]

France’s main airports are asking airlines to cut their flight timetables in half ahead of three days of strikes by air traffic controllers that begin tomorrow.

BA, Ryanair and EasyJet have “significant” cancellations.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10110750/French-strikes-hit-British-holidaymakers.html

Edit – The main justification for the action is the EU’s push to rationalise the European airspace, reducing by merger the number of ATC areas and optimise routing – saving time and money. Appears a rational idea though the French unions disagree viewing it as an attack on national identity.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22850250

[Marco64]

Singapore Airlines will be reinstating the following flights to and from Paris as the strike by French air transport unions affecting French airspace will be ending earlier than originally planned.

SQ334 (Singapore to Paris) departing on 12 June 2013
SQ333 (Paris to Singapore) departing on 13 June 2013

http://www.singaporeair.com/jsp/cms/en_UK/press_release_news/130612-frenchstrikeresumeflights.jsp

[TominScotland]

Down in the Algarve for a few days and my son’s return flight with Easyjet to Glasgow was one of only two services cancelled from Faro as a result of the French strike. As he had to get back today, went scouring round various options and was 1000% impressed by the helpfulness of Jet2 staff, both in their call centre and at Faro Airport. They really excelled in getting my son onto a flight to Glasgow just minutes before it closed – and the last remaining seat.

Jet2’s service mindedness relly stood out and would make me want to give them a try in the future if the routing worked out. Incidently, their claim is that they never cancel a flight, only delay services so you are not faced with Easyjet’s rather unhelpful options of rebook (if you can find a flight) or get a refund.

[TominScotland]

Stuck in Faro, with what is currently showing as a 6 hour delay due to the ATC strike. Does anyone know what the current rulings are for this sort of thing under Regulation (EC) 261/2004? I suspect that a strike is classed as “Exceptional Circumstances”????

[Swindoneric]

In the BA lounge at Gatwick. Pretty much everything delayed. Hoping to get back to Edinburgh for midnight. There is actually some reasonable looking quiche and salad in the buffet, but maybe one for a different thread?

[BigDog.]

Hi Tom

Simon Calder is a regular pontificater about airline and travel – it is not much help but gives more info into the situation. Good luck.

…..Travel editor for the Independent newspaper Simon Calder told the BBC passengers may not be entitled to compensation because the disruption was not the fault of the airlines.

“What you are entitled to, though, whatever the cause of the delay, is a duty of care from the airline; they have to provide meals and accommodation until they can get you to your destination,” he said.

“But the problem for a lot of people whose flights have been cancelled is that you don’t automatically go on the next plane, you actually go to the back of the queue and are fighting for the last remaining seats on forthcoming flights.

“So some of the people whose flights are cancelled today, for example, may not get where they’re going perhaps until the weekend.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22872200

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