"
Block the country
", "
put France to a halt
": this is the slogan launched by the inter-union, determined to harden its mobilization against the pension reform.
The four SNCF and RATP unions are calling for a renewable strike from Thursday March 7.
Renewable: there is the difference compared to the social movements of recent months.
In transport, but also in certain cultural sites such as museums, the disruptions are likely to last several days in a row.
Something to remember the month of December 2019, during which the disturbances on the rails had sealed the attendance of the Christmas markets and the great departures of the end of the year.
Among tourism professionals, it's time for a wait-and-see attitude.
One week before this new mobilization, it is impossible to measure its extent.
Sector-by-sector strike forecasts are usually announced 48 hours in advance.
"
The strike takes place after the
school holidays
and therefore avoids periods of great departures
", reassures Hervé Tilmont, general secretary of the Syndicate of tour operators (Seto).
Read alsoTrain, plane... How to get reimbursed in the event of a strike?
A “limited effect on tourist activity”
In Paris, the world's leading tourist destination in 2022, only the paralysis of public transport risks spoiling the stay of visitors.
On the other hand, nothing to report on the side of museums and attractions.
"
The days of strikes have had, so far, a limited and one-off effect on the overall tourist activity of the destination
", tells us the Paris Tourist Office.
These disruptions were also limited to the closure of the Eiffel Tower (January 19) and the cancellation of less than a fifth of flights at Orly airport.
To date, no airline has been affected by a strike notice from its staff.
However, they may be forced to reduce their flight schedule in the event of the air traffic controllers disengaging.
“
For the moment, we do not have visibility on this movement
, indicates to
Figaro
the direction of Transavia.
We will apply the reductions requested by the DGAC
[Direction générale de l'avion civile, NDLR] 48
hours in advance.
Customer service will contact the passengers concerned directly, offering them alternative solutions (change of flight free of charge or refund).
»
Read also Canceled flight: how to get a refund for your plane ticket?
Carpooling and coaches as backup
Flight cancellations are the main concern of most professionals.
“
An air traffic control strike is the most penalizing for our activity.
Flight cancellations would disrupt the departures and returns of our customers and would force tour operators to reschedule certain stays
,” underlines Hervé Tilmont.
Travelers planning to go outside of Europe, however, should be less impacted.
Cancellations affect long-haul flights much less than medium-haul flights.
The threat of a long and closely followed railway strike does not bode well for everyone.
During the last Christmas holidays, Air France took advantage of the SNCF strike to fill its domestic flights.
For carpooling and long-distance coach operators, two alternative modes of transport to the train, this is an opportunity to refuel.
Thus, BlaBlaCar “
observes a 50% increase in activity
” with each social movement.
Its coach subsidiary, BlaBlaCar Bus, like its competitor Flixbus, is able to charter additional coaches at the last minute on the most popular axes.
During the Christmas holidays, Flixbus, which captured some of the 200,000 injured rail passengers, had recorded growth of 15%.
Read also SNCF strike: our solutions for leaving anyway