Meriem

AF trade unions are planning a strike between Nov. 4 and 8...

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/20...-personnel.php

stimpy

November 'tis the season to strike in France. I expect this won't be the only one.

San Gottardo

Oops, that's inconvenient. Especially since the reason for going on strike is the usual, which I put under the heading "unwillingness to work".

Let's just hope it won't be followed too widely, and if it is, that AF on the ground will handle the situation better than last year's strike.

stimpy

Nah, unlike German strikes, French strikes rarely last more than a few days or so.

couscous

It had been a while, I was starting to worry..

andre1970

I am mad . I decided, after 12 years without Air France, to break the streak and give it a shot again! How stupid of me to actually think that things could have changed!

I guess the question(s) to the experts here are:

1. What is normally the impact of a strike on AF TATL operations? Delays? Cancellations? I have a flight next week from CDG to DTW (stupidly booked) on AF

2. I am partly Paris based (I spend about 3 months per year in Paris) so I am very familiar with the CDG favela (thanks creber). However, AF is a distant and bitter memory and the mere thought of having to deal with those guys again during a strike really scares the underpants off me. . So what is (normally) the impact of a strike on AF airport/ground operations?

Thanks a lot everyone!

A.

stimpy

TATL isn't normally affected. I can almost guarantee this strike, if it even happens, won't be anywhere near as bad as the recent Lufthansa strike. Nor would it be as bad as the strikes that affected LHR last year and the year before. All in all, CDG and AF passengers have been far, far less affected by strikes than those in the UK and Germany over the last few years.

andre1970

Let's hope things are as you say. While normally an LH and *A flyer, I canceled all my LH bookings during the summer and booked on other carriers. It was not hard to do as I am not based in Germany. As for LHR it has been on my official "ignore list" since the beginning of the Great Liquid-Ban. But CDG, I cannot avoid.

brunos

There are strikes and strikes. In teh recent past all announced strikes by AF have been mostly general French strikes, that were hardly followed in other French sectors and had very little following among AF staff. Others were primarily affecting ORY airport. This one is specifically AF and pension issues are always very sensitive. I do not share Stimpy's optimism for this specific strike. But there is a chance that it will be cancelled to open the way to negociations.

GK

The last AF strike cost me Euro 500 buying a ticket on Vueling.. and a day of my life that I won't get back. Customer service at CDG was non existent.

Meriem

Trade unions just announced that the strike was postponed until December.

nicolas75

From November 04th to 08th, Air France flights operate as scheduled
Air France will operate all of its flights as scheduled from November 04th to 08th, as the industrial action called by the cabin crew members is now lifted.

andre1970

Here's my updated opinion about a recent Affaires trip to the US on AF, from my home forum (M&L).

San Gottardo

You're right, the German strikes are nasty. That's the trouble with the Germans: not only do they organize the good things well, even the bad things like strikes. Everything comes to a halt because the strikes are actually well organized and noone works.

In France as well everything comes to a halt, but that's despite the strikes themselves being poorly organized. But since customer service, plan B and other things which are supposed to relieve the impact of strikes on customers are just as poorly organized, the end result is the same.

stimpy

Well no. Everything doesn't come to a halt in France. We have the service minimum now. There was an SNCF strike last week, and it didn't stop me from taking several train voyages. Not even a delay. You just have to double check to make sure your train is OK, and switch if you need to.