Ryanair cancels 250 flights
Ryanair has cancelled 250 flights today while British Airways has warned passengers of delays and disruptions due to an air traffic control strike in France.
Flybe has also cancelled a handful of services to Paris, but insists all other passengers should check in as normal.
Half of flights to and from Paris Orly airport and one in three at Charles de Gaulle will be cancelled because of strikes by airport workers.
Eurostar services will not be affected but the Paris Metro and French rail services will be hit.
Eurostar passengers connecting within France who may have difficulty getting to or from the Eurostar station are being given the option to postpone their journey for up to 90 days.
Most of Ryanair’s cancelled flights are from UK regional airports to France and Spain, though the airline’s services from other bases on the Continent have also been badly hit.
The strike, which is the fourth in a month by French workers, has prompted Ryanair to renew its call for the EU Commission to remove the ‘right to strike’ from essential services, including air traffic controllers.
It is also urging EC ministers to reform passenger rights legislation to remove the financial burden of strike action from airlines. It wants reforms to relieve airlines of ‘right to care’ obligations in circumstances beyond their control.
So far in 2010, Ryanair says it has been forced to cancel 1,650 flights and delay over 12,000 other flights, disrupting over 2.5m passengers, as a direct result of Belgian, French and Spanish ATC strikes and work to rules.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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