Air traffic controller strike Oct 7-9

I made the change yesterday. I was supposed to be landing on the 9th. I know that strikes don't always happen, but with encouragement from forum members Pam, Jean and Cathy and the fact that Delta makes changes/cancellations very easy, I am now flying thru AMS and currently not worrying about it.

Thanks so much. I'll likely do the same. I fly into Paris and then catch a train to Aix-en-Provence, so it may be easiest to fly into Brussels, Geneva or Barcelona.

I would not pick Barcelona to fly into if you are heading to Aix-en-Provence. It seems to me Geneva is the closest airport. Of course, I don't know the train options, but logic dictates a Geneva arrival.

Best of luck!

Oh no, we're supposed to land Oct 8 (leave US the 7th). Would you pay the several hundred dollars to change the flights at this point?

"Oh no, we're supposed to land Oct 8 (leave US the 7th). Would you pay the several hundred dollars to change the flights at this point?"

I would call and talk to your airline and see if they are going to issue a waiver.

Thank you, Pam. I'm waiting for a call back from Delta (any minute now). Would you just advise changing the Oct 7th/8th and not worry about leaving Paris on the 17th?

I got in touch with Delta and was able to move my flight up a couple of days, arriving in Paris on Oct. 6, for no additional fee.

Smay665, glad you were able to make the switch. I am meeting friends in Venice and we have some fun things planned that I didn't want to miss. Enjoy your trip.

Usually the long-haul flights to / from the U.S. are not affected in these strikes . . . but of course one never knows . . , ,

I am flying economy, leaving on Oct 7 with a change in Lisbon and into Nice arriving Oct 8. In addition to the French strike listed for the 7-9, there are Lisbon Airport strikes listed for Oct. 3-6 and 10-13 so changing by a couple days earlier or later is not a good option. I called TAP and, as I suspected, they said that none of the above strikes in Portugal or France are confirmed yet; they will not make any adjustments until the strike is confirmed. I'm curious if anyone has any suggestions or experience.

The Delta representative I spoke with yesterday said that they haven't received an official notice for the strike yet. If they need to rebook me due to strikes, they will send an email and then I won't be charged because it's out of my hands. If I want to rebook now, I would have to pay quite a bit because I bought the basic economy no changes flights for my husband and me.

I had a flight landing during the July strike... I was very stressed but finally decided that I was just going to have to roll the dice as the airline never gave me a waiver and changing the flight was $$$$. What I consistently read was that there are several unions and not all of them go on strike at the same time... so while there are flight reductions it's not a "full stop" and the airlines and airports prioritize the long haul flights. And that's what happened. I got there fine but connections at CDG were a disaster so..

I'm glad you got to Paris, Carol. I had a hard time sleeping last night, I just felt anxious. I really want to get there on time especially since we have Overlord tours scheduled days 2 and 3.

I'm in the same boat, except I'll be flying out of Paris on Oct. 8. It's a flight from CDG to West Palm with JetBlue. I've spoken with them and they told me that there are no waivers yet and suggested me to wait a bit before making any change. Still, i'm very stressed about the whole situation and I don't know if I should anticipate moving my flight to october 6th or not.

I was scheduled to catch a train to Avignon after arriving in Paris (and I absolutely have to be there that day) so I was worried about making the connection if there were major delays. The strike may or may not happen but I'll sleep better in the meantime. It was probably easier because we have status with Delta, otherwise I might have just crossed my fingers and waited for a waiver. And now I get an extra night in Paris on the front end so that is a plus. :)

smay, I'm glad you have that taken care of now! I'm trying not to worry. We could leave a couple of days earlier if needed but at this moment, I don't want to spend hundreds extra to change our tickets (especially because it might all be for naught, at least I hope so) but I don't want to spend my vacation in the Atlanta airport.

Best of luck pbscd - here is hoping it all works out smoothly!

Interesting to suggest that Geneva, Barcelona, or even Amsterdam airports might not be affected by French controller strikes. They might due to use of airspace.

Im coming into paris from london by train on the 7th, and flying out of ory to barcelona on the 8th. Im thinking maybe should I just skip my day stop in paris and go straight from london to barcelona? I dont know what to do. I dont want to get stuck in paris because im only spending 3 days in barcelona in dont want to miss out.

Heading straight to Barcelona from London sounds like a good idea, strike or no strike. An Orly-Barcelona flight is indeed likely to be affected by an air traffic control strike; much more likely that a flight to/from the US.

I fly out of Phoenix on the 7th, change in CDG on the 8th and then onto Warsaw. I have an alternate flight in mind. I just hung up with Delta and they say they can't change my ticket without a fee. Waiting to see what happens.

We are scheduled to fly BA on 10/7 - SFO to CDG with a plane change at LHR. When I called BA they said as of now the flight has not been cancelled - should the flight be cancelled they would notify us one week prior and we could make the necessary changes without a charge. If we were to make the change now, there would be a charge.

Worst case scenario- take the train to Paris from London. Since we are retired we would be glad to fly in on the 5th. For now I am booking two additional nights in Honfluer.

Wondering if anyone has anything new to report, or suggestions for best sources to check for updates on the Oct 7-10 French air traffic controllers strike, or ideas on how to plan. I am still waiting for TAP Air Portugal to make a decision. I'm scheduled to arrive in Nice on Oct. 8. My situation has slighly improved in that at least the threatened strikes at Lisbon Airport (my transfer site) are off. Would it make sense to make back up hotel reservations for arriving on the 11th?

Air traffic controllers must inform their department head of their intention to participate in the strike no later than noon two days before each strike day. This means that it is not possible to have information on the extent of the strike before the afternoon of October 5.

Based on this information, airlines will provide more detailed information to passengers regarding the status of their flights.

Thanks JoLui. This is very helpful to know although difficult for planning.

Thanks JoLui, I'm really hoping they reach an agreement and drop this. It's hard to not be anxious!

The only exception to the good, correct information that JoLui shared is if, instead, the air traffic controllers' union withdraws its strike notice in the meantime (not a big probability, but at least a possibility).

I've been searching for updates, but as far as I can tell the strike is still on. Has anyone heard differently?

Thanks for this question and all the responses.My husband and I are scheduled to fly CDG-SFO on United October 8. Have not been able to get any updates yet. This might be easier if I was flying into Paris as I would have my home phone and could wait on hold forever. Any advice how to handle a departure from Paris scheduled for October 8?

the answer to many of the questions will be to get ahold of the airline to see if you can rebook or what their plans are.

https://www.cestlagreve.fr/greve/controleurs-aeriens-septembre-2025/

I read a good article that explained it--somewhat:

apparently by law the striking union needs to inform the airlines on October 5 that they will be striking on Oct 7. On Oct 6 they need to inform the airlines they will be striking on Oct 8. Etc, etc.

Apparently the airlines will not make any pax changes until they hear from the striking union. I can understand that but would sure like to make arrangements with Plan B now! Good luck everyone.

I have no experience with cancellations and rebooking so I am looking for any guidance on what to expect or how to prepare. I have called TAP several times but they say they won’t offer free rebooking or have any information until the flight is definitely cancelled. If I rebook on my own, I would face a $200 penalty plus double my current airfare, so I'm waiting.
I have a non-flexible, non-refundable ticket on TAP leaving DC(IAD) 9/7 to Nice with a change in Lisbon, arriving Nice 9/8. If the Lisbon-Nice leg gets cancelled before I leave, will the first leg also likely be cancelled or will I likely need to fly to Lisbon to wait for rebooking?
If I am re-booked 1, 2 or 3 days later than my original arrival flight, is it likely the airline would allow me to delay my return flight without the penalty and higher prices?

Usually the long-haul flights to / from the U.S. are not affected in these strikes . . . but of course one never knows . . , ,

We held our breath in December, 2019, during a massive French nationwide strike period that disrupted planes, Metro, and train service. The nonstop flight from DFW to Paris scheduled one day prior our flight got cancelled, but our flight went as scheduled the following day. Our return flight a couple of weeks later was not affected, but during our 2 week stay, Metro service was extremely limited, greatly disrupted, and very congested for when it was available, so we did a lot of walking.

We got lucky on the flights, but as you say, "usually" the long haul flights to/from the US are not impacted, but I can confirm it did happen, just not to us. Dodged a bullet.

We had purchased our tickets in August 2019, and the "industrial action" announcements about upcoming strikes occurred in September. AA at that time offered passengers who had purchased tickets before that "action" had been announced a full refund for cancellation. In hindsight, we probably should have taken AA up on that offer, even though it turned out OK for us, at least in terms of our flights over and back. But the disruptions to Metro and regional trains impacted our daily plans in Paris, and avoiding massive protest gatherings on a daily basis, put a damper on our enjoyment of being there. I thought then that while it all worked out, I would not go through that again.

We had 3 months, enough time to come up with something else to do during that December period which was a "fixed" date for our vacation, arrange to fly somewhere else (say the UK), and we briefly considered it at the time, but we ultimately decided we would roll the dice. I am not so sure I would do that again, because it was very stressful in the lead up to the trip, and it was stressful during the trip, too, with all the transit disruptions and large protests, some that turned violent, overturned cars burned, etc. It impacted what we did on every day of that trip, and limited us in that regard.

We have a trip booked to return to Paris this December. For now, like everyone, we are monitoring the situation, it is too early to pull the plug on our plans. We hope the current situation will improve...who knows? The tensions underlying the strikes in France never really go away, it is always there, and it is part of the bargain travelers make every time they make trip plans for France.

Originally booked PHX to Warsaw, Tues, Oct 7, arrival in CDG 1010am, Oct 8, then flight to Warsaw. Delta just allowed me to change my ticket without a fee. I had my options all ready, actually 4 of them, and have lots of issues to overcome so very grateful to Delta with my first choice being available. Thank you Delta.

In Europe, you have rights in the event of flight cancellations or delays. These rights are governed by EU Regulation 261/2004 and are explained below:

https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/documents/flyer_right_air_passengers_en.pdf

In short, depending on the arrival and departure airports, you can check this website to determine what you are entitled to and the airlines' legal obligations by selecting your specific situation:

https://www.eccnet.eu/consumer-rights/what-are-my-consumer-rights/travel-and-passenger-rights/air-passenger-rights-0

I just got my flight changed to Sunday. I was actually able to do it for no charge because of a cabin change they did to me somewhere along the lines (not sure why the last Delta agent didn't notice). Now I need to decide where to spend the 2 nights? More in Bayeux? Or who even will have space for us.

Glad that worked out pbscd!

Thank you, smay! I've been so anxious the last couple of weeks.

The air traffic controllers have suspended their strike. It will not happen.

The biggest air traffic control union in terms of representation issued a press release earlier today saying they have withdrawn their strike motion.

Great news!

I won't complain about the extra 2 days I'm getting in France though.

Same here! I'm relieved on behalf of those who might have been in a mess though.

Yes I'm definitely relieved for them. I don't wish that on anyone.
We're waiting at our gate for our first leg of our flight!