French Air Traffic Control Strike

Thanks for the heads up. There are several unions, so we don't know if this is the major one or one of the smaller ones. We read the declaration of action in French but haven't seen it come up on a French news website yet. It's all going to depend on the size of this union.

In the past, long haul flights were the last affected, but it's not a picnic to get caught in this situation. We're flying that day too.

We will watch here for updates as well as we are scheduled to fly home from Paris to Chicago O'Hare airport on June 24.

I just read that the unions did vote to strike June 24 - 29. I'm supposed to depart for France on June 27 for a Rick Steves trip to Eastern France. I called the airline, but it's too early for them to know which flights will be cancelled or delayed.

Yes, the strike is on for June 24th (Tuesday) through 29th (Sunday). The four biggest air traffic controllers' unions have voted to join in on the strike.

As Bets said, usually long-haul (I.e. trans-Atlantic) flights are the least affected, but you can't know for sure yet.

France's "minimum service" law with regard to airport-related strikes means that you are supposed to be able to get information ahead of time about whether your flight will be affected (but this probably only means the day prior, rather than any further out). Check with your carrier and with the Paris Airports Authority via their websites and/or Twitter feeds.

Aéroports de Paris
http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/ADP/en-GB/Passagers/Home/

Nice airport
http://en.nice.aeroport.fr/

Marseille airport
http://www.marseille-airport.com/

Toulouse
http://www.toulouse.aeroport.fr/en

The strike is on. The airlines will allow you to move your date forward to avoid the strike, if a seat is available.

A bit of good news: the biggest union last night rescinded its notice of intent to participate in the strike, which will diminish the potential scope of the strike.

However, French civil aviation authorities have asked airlines to cut 20% of their flights tomorrow, mostly to/from desinations to the south - the south of France, southern Europe, and the Maghreb (North Africa).

Press reports indicate that authorities project that about 75% of flights will operate. As always, please check with your airline if you're flying the next few days to ascertain whether your flight is affected, especially if you're flying to any of the destinations mentioned above.

This should mean that long-haul flights (i.e. trans-Atlantic to/from the States) should be able to come and go, although there might be delays, of course.

The strike is supposed to begin at 5:00 tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

We are flying out of Paris CDG tomorrow morning via AF who have kept us notified since the 20th with as much info as they possibly can about the strike. From our experience thus far, what I have read from other posters is correct in that airlines are prioritizing "long haul"flights and have been asked by the Gov to reduce short and medium hauls by 25%. We received a reminder this morning from AF about checking in for our flight early, so we are feeling cautiously optimistic about getting back to SFO tomorrow.

Kim, thanks for all the work you've done keeping everyone informed. You've certainly busy between this potential strike and the train strike. You'll probably never know how many people you 've helped.

When I needed last minute help ( actually on the trip) a month ago, the only password I could remember was my RS password. I've never had to change it because of security breaches. I was really grateful for those who were able to respond quickly.