French Ryanair crews call for 'unlimited' strike action over summer
Staff at three French airports employed by budget airline Ryanair have filed a notice for 'unlimited' strike action over the summer in an ongoing dispute about pay. The action comes after strikes by airport staff in Paris and complaints from Easyjet's French pilots.
The strike notice filed by the Syndicat national du personnel navigant commercial, which represents the majority of flight attendants, concerns Ryanair staff at Toulouse, Marseille and Paris Beauvais airports.
The union said that the dates for strike action would be communicated to the airline "in due course" but added that peak travel times would be targeted, including the start of school holidays at the beginning of July and the long weekend around the July 14th Bastille Day holiday.
Flights to Morocco, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Corsica, England, Scotland and Ireland are likely to be affected.
The notice comes after airport staff - including security staff - at Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports have called for a strike on July 1st. An earlier one-day action by the same group caused one quarter of departures from Charles de Gaulle airport to be cancelled.
Both the Ryanair staff and the Paris airports staff are calling for pay increases to help them deal with the increasing cost of living.
Separately, French pilots employed by Easyjet have written to the company CEO denouncing the chaotic operations that have seen the airline cancel dozens of flights already this summer, saying staff have been "duped" by the company. There is at present no notice of strike action from the Easyjet pilots.
Staff shortages have led to long queues at airports around Europe as mass travel restarts after the pandemic.
READ ALSO Strikes and staff shortages - how travel in France will be affected this summer
So far France has not been as badly affected as countries including the Netherlands, Ireland, UK and Sweden, but passengers flying long-haul from Paris airports have reported long waits to get through security and check-in.
Unions have warned that airports will be seriously short-staffed throughout the summer, and passengers are advised to check carefully the recommended arrival time from their airline.
You can keep up with the latest on strike action at our strikes section HERE.
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The strike notice filed by the Syndicat national du personnel navigant commercial, which represents the majority of flight attendants, concerns Ryanair staff at Toulouse, Marseille and Paris Beauvais airports.
The union said that the dates for strike action would be communicated to the airline "in due course" but added that peak travel times would be targeted, including the start of school holidays at the beginning of July and the long weekend around the July 14th Bastille Day holiday.
Flights to Morocco, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Corsica, England, Scotland and Ireland are likely to be affected.
The notice comes after airport staff - including security staff - at Paris' Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports have called for a strike on July 1st. An earlier one-day action by the same group caused one quarter of departures from Charles de Gaulle airport to be cancelled.
Both the Ryanair staff and the Paris airports staff are calling for pay increases to help them deal with the increasing cost of living.
Separately, French pilots employed by Easyjet have written to the company CEO denouncing the chaotic operations that have seen the airline cancel dozens of flights already this summer, saying staff have been "duped" by the company. There is at present no notice of strike action from the Easyjet pilots.
Staff shortages have led to long queues at airports around Europe as mass travel restarts after the pandemic.
READ ALSO Strikes and staff shortages - how travel in France will be affected this summer
So far France has not been as badly affected as countries including the Netherlands, Ireland, UK and Sweden, but passengers flying long-haul from Paris airports have reported long waits to get through security and check-in.
Unions have warned that airports will be seriously short-staffed throughout the summer, and passengers are advised to check carefully the recommended arrival time from their airline.
You can keep up with the latest on strike action at our strikes section HERE.
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