The summer promises to be complicated for airlines.
For now, they all seem to be affected by strikes and cancellations in the coming weeks.
To discover
Taxes 2022: all about your tax return
Read alsoHere is how to check the reliability of an airline
In an open letter, the European Transport Workers' Federation said on Monday that "
the chaos facing the airline industry will only get worse throughout the summer
".
Air France and Transavia affected by pilot strike
The Air France-KLM group “
says it is ready for this summer
”, said its general manager, Benjamin Smith last week.
The company emphasizes "
the hiring of 300 pilots, 200 mechanics and 200 seasonal ground handling agents
" at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports.
Thanks to these recruitments, Air France “
did not cancel flights this summer, having anticipated the resumption
” of tourism.
But a strike is already planned by the pilots' union, Alter, for Saturday June 25.
Among the airports concerned, Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly, and "
potentially Toulouse, Nice and Marseille
", indicates Alexandre Rio, president of Alter.
He adds that Transavia is also impacted by this strike, only at Orly airport.
In all, around twenty flights from the two companies are targeted.
“
These are long and short haul flights.
Two out of four flights to Calvi (Corsica) should be affected
,” adds Alexandre Rio.
In addition to this pilot strike, Transavia has “
carried out the cancellation of 3% of its flights for July and August
”.
According to the company, this will allow it "
to better ensure the robustness and punctuality of its program
".
"
We have informed all the passengers concerned now and we have proposed a rerouting solution for 95% of them between D-1 and D+1
", communicates the company.
Read also Cancellation of a plane ticket: in which case can you be reimbursed?
The National Union of Commercial Flight Crew (SNPNC) also announces that a notice “
will be submitted in the coming days
”, only for Transavia.
The dates of the strike have not yet been confirmed by the inter-union but they “will
last until the end of the summer
”, specifies Nicolas Bessalam, representative of the union section of the SNPNC.
The airports of Orly, Nantes, Lyon and Montpellier should be targeted by this strike.
Nicolas Bessalam points out that “
92% of Transavia pursers and 88% of hostesses and stewards are ready to follow suit
”.
The objective is to obtain a salary increase.
He assures her, “
the summer will be very complicated
”.
A difficult summer for Ryanair
The airline Ryanair will be the most affected by the strikes: June 25 in Italy, June 25 and 26 in France, June 24, 25 and 26 in Belgium, Portugal and Spain and June 30, 1 and 2 July again in Spain.
Among the airports potentially affected, Ryanair has four air bases in France: Marseille, Toulouse, Beauvais and Bordeaux.
“
The company does not respect the rest times, nor the working conditions provided for by the civil aviation code
”, challenges Damien Mourgues, SNPNC-FO delegate.
A strike has already been carried out on June 12 and 13, canceling 25% of flights in France.
Read alsoRyanair takes off again but remains cautious
Ryanair management called on June 17 to resume negotiations with the unions.
The CEO, Michael O'Leary, assured that the strikes would not disrupt the activity of the low cost company: “
Most flights will continue to be provided, even if a union of 'Mickey' strikes in Spain.
“If the discussions are not conclusive, Damien Mourgues does not exclude new strikes, “
especially around the July 14 bridge
”.
Contacted by
Le Figaro
, Ryanair did not respond to requests.
Cancellations to be expected at easyJet
If your holiday destination is in Spain, beware of easyJet cancellations.
The Spanish Workers' Union has filed a strike notice for July 1, 2 and 3, as well as for July 15, 16, 17 and 29, 30, 31 at the airports of Barcelona, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.
At this stage, only the weekend of July 23 and 24 is spared.
On the French side, the SNPNC union representative, William Bourdon, reports that “
negotiations are underway
” with the airline, and that they “
are rather positive
”.
“
We will try to do what we can for passengers and not disrupt their holidays too much
,” he adds.
The SNPNC denounces a lack of staff, leading to "
scheduling instability
".
According to William Bourdon, "
there will be cancellations for sure
", because the "
additional staff will not arrive before sometime in July
".
"
It's done for this summer
," he adds.
Read alsoWhatever the destinations and dates, the prices of plane tickets are bound to increase
The company easyJet mentions that it “
continues to work on the flight program
”.
“
The vast majority of our customers will not be affected.
For impacted customers, they may be switched back to another easyJet flight within 24 hours.
We will directly notify affected customers in the coming days with their options: transfer to another flight, rebook or receive a refund
.”