(Reuters) — Air France pilots began a one-week strike over company plans to cut costs to recapture market share from budget airlines on Monday (September 15).
Air France said on its web site it expected to operate 48 percent of its flights on Monday, but “last minute disturbances are not excluded”.
Air France Chief Executive Frederic Gagey said on the weekend the strike, which could run until Sept. 22, would cost the airline between 10 and 15 million euros ($13-19 million) a day.
Some passengers said they had nothing to complain about as they had been given adequate information beforehand.
“Yes I think there isn’t a big problem. Air France advised me some days before so I know the situation before about my flight for return back at home. I found people very kind here and she do everything to solve my problem. I can say nothing,” said passenger Christiano Cresci.
Rose Blasi who was travelling to Germany with her children said she understood the pilot’s right to strike but said it was not fair to travellers.
“I understand, but I am bearing the brunt, especially with all these children. If I were alone, there would be no problem. I understand there’s a strike, they are right to do it but it’s a shame that it concerns us, that it affects us, isn’t that right? The children don’t agree at all, the flights for tomorrow were cancelled so the children are missing their first day of school tomorrow in Germany, that’s not good. Not good at all,” she said.
Passenger Chantal Ghilain said although she wasn’t informed about the strike, she was now making alternative travel arrangements and hoped Air France would foot the bill.
“Well, we didn’t know. We got to know when we arrived that our flight was cancelled, so well, we will try to book train tickets to go home. So apparently, we will be reimbursed, we just need to keep the receipts. No I think, I hope there won’t be any problems where that is concerned,” she told Reuters Television.
The main pilots’ unions at Air France have called for strikes from Sept 15-22. And on Tuesday, Lufthansa pilots will hold an eight-hour strike – their fourth in three weeks – in a dispute over an early-retirement scheme.