FLIGHT cancellations across Europe are set to affect thousands of Brits heading abroad this week.
Airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Air France have been forced to cancel flights today and tomorrow due to French ATC strikes over working conditions and pay.
Hundreds of flights in the UK have been cancelled this week[/caption]
This means that as many as 200 flights to and from the UK will be impacted each day on July 3 and July 4, according to AirAdvisor.
This works out to as many as 36,000 Brits.
Ryanair has cancelled 170 flights in total, which is expected to disrupt over 30,000 passengers.
The airline has also claimed that the strikes in France will disrupt passengers flying over French airspace too, en route to other destinations such as Greece and Spain.
Ryanair’s CEO Michael O’Leary said: “Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike.
“It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike.
“It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on EU passengers and families going on holidays.”
In comparison, easyJet has been forced to cancel 22 UK touching flights today and 38, so far, for tomorrow.
Across Europe the airline has made 124 cancellations in total for today and 150 so far, for tomorrow.
An easyJet spokesperson said: “As required by the French authorities (DGAC) easyJet proactively cancelled some flights in advance and customers were contacted directly with options to transfer to another flight for free or a refund.
“While this is outside of our control, we will do all we can to minimise the impact of the strike action.
“On behalf of our passengers we are extremely unhappy with the strike action, particularly given the current performance of French ATC which has been the leading cause of airspace delays in Europe this summer.
“Long term solutions must be found for our customers and crew who suffer repeated disruption.”
The strike, which is being led by UNSA-INCA and SNCTA unions, will involve 60-70 per cent of ATCs.
Anton Radchenko, aviation expert and founder of AirAdvisor explained that the strikes will also cause the airspace to narrow, and as a result the backlog will spread quickly to hubs like Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester.
He said: “What many travellers underestimate is how vulnerable short-haul schedules are to even minor disruptions.
This means that around 150-200 UK flights will be impacted each day on July 3 and July 4[/caption]
“Unlike long-haul routes, where airlines often have contingency buffers, short-haul flights operate on tight rotations.”
For example, one delay in Lyon or Marseille could lead to a ripple effect that cancels a Stansted departure six hours later.
He continued: “My top advice is to travel with full situational awareness.
“If your itinerary connects through France or overflies its airspace, even to destinations like Italy or Spain, check with your airline daily, not just the night before.
“Take screenshots of every notification, keep every receipt, and escalate immediately if your flight is cancelled.
“Under EU261, you’re owed assistance even if you’re not owed financial compensation, but you have to know how to ask.”
New EU rules also mean Brits will now get less compensation if their flight is delayed.
Plus, Ryanair has warned of record flight delays this summer.
The strike is also anticipated to impact Brits flying o other destinations including Greece and Spain[/caption]
