Air France Is Cancelling 24% of Its Flights on Friday
Air France will cancel 24 percent of its flights on Friday, March 30, due to yet another employee strike. Another strike is anticipated for April 3.
More than 30% of Air France's pilots, as well as nearly 30% of cabin crew and 20% of ground crew, are expected to participate in Friday's strike, the latest in a series of trade union protests which also took place on February 22 and March 23.
The airline cited the "Diard Law," a 2012 act that obligates flight crew who will strike to notify the company 48 hours before actually striking — which is how the airline can predict accurately how many flights it can operate.
The Air France employees are requesting a 6% pay increase from the airline across the board. (6% is about five times more than the rate of inflation in France.) The unions have said that the airline has not yet given them an actionable response.
The airline's "Flash Info" page features ongoing updates about the status of flight schedules, with the latest update posted on March 29 at 1 am Paris time at the time of this publishing. Booked passengers will also be notified individually via email and text, according to Air France. The airline also stressed that flights operated by partner carriers such as HOP!, KLM or Delta would not be affected. However, SkyTeam alliance partner Delta Airlines has proactively issued a travel waiver for the impending strike dates.
Air France
All travelers booked to travel on March 30 can choose between the following options:
- reschedule the flight any time between March 31–April 5 with no fees, subject to seat availability at the time of rebooking
OR - receive a voucher to postpone the flight after April 5; change destination or departure airports; or cancel their ticket for a full refund with no additional fees.
Customers can change their reservations via the AirFrance website or app under "Review/Modify your Reservations"; via Twitter with #AirFrance; on Facebook; or by calling the airline directly.
Delta
If you wish to cancel your trip as a result of a flight cancellation or significant delay (90 minutes or more), you are entitled to a refund for the unused portion of your ticket. Even if your flight is not canceled, you may make a one-time change to your ticket without fee if you are scheduled to travel to, from, or through the following destination(s) on Delta, Delta Connection, or Delta-coded flights during the specified time periods listed below.
Travel Date: March 30, 2018
- Flights affected: All Air France/HOP/JOON operated flights
- Rebooking date options: March 27 - 29, 2018; March 31 - April 5, 2018
- Tickets must re-issued on or before: April 5
- When rescheduled travel occurs beyond April 5, 2018, the change fee will be waived. However, a difference in fare may apply. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity, one year from date of original issue. If travel is not able to be rescheduled within these guidelines, customers may cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for a period of one year from the original ticket issuance. Applicable change fee and fare difference will apply for new travel dates. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity.
Travel Date: April 3, 2018
- Flights affected: All Air France/HOP/JOON operated flights
- Rebooking date options: April 1-2, 2018; April 4-8, 2018
- Tickets must re-issued on or before: April 8
- When rescheduled travel occurs beyond April 8, 2018, the change fee will be waived. However, a difference in fare may apply. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity, one year from date of original issue. If travel is not able to be rescheduled within these guidelines, customers may cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for a period of one year from the original ticket issuance. Applicable change fee and fare difference will apply for new travel dates. Final travel must be completed by end of ticket validity.
