Discussion of social and political issues related to strikes in France
Sep 20, 2014, 6:16 am
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,538
Bankruptcy laws are very different in the USA and have been used extensively by US airlines. If a US airline which has been posting losses for many years, like AF, is to suffer such a damaging strike, it would seek protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. Rather than raising more debt (or selling assets) to service its existing debt, the company claims that it does not have the cash flows to service its debt and requires Chapter 11 protection. The fear of the company seeking Chapter 11 protection is a strong deterrent for strikes. In Chapter 11, the company has a lot of flexibility to unilaterally change the employees' contracts and layoff.
This cannot happen in France and most other European countries.
This cannot happen in France and most other European countries.
Sep 22, 2014, 10:16 am
#62
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Paris, France, AF F+ Rouge pour toujours, Flying Blue whatever, LH FTL, HHonors Gold, formerly proud SCC Executive, now IC Ambassador, BA down to nobody, Grand Voyageur Le Club
Posts: 12,404
It seems that the pilots are trying to make the airline's current top management look irrelevant.
Sep 22, 2014, 10:53 am
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Sep 22, 2014, 11:18 am
#64
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,538
Sep 22, 2014, 11:24 am
#65
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Sep 22, 2014, 1:14 pm
#66
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: CDG/AMS
Programs: FB Plat for life, FB PC, M&M FT, Hertz President (+ many low tier cards)
Posts: 2,777
Is it possible/legal in France for a union/employers to bankrupt a company on purpose? I mean. If AF abandoned the plan of Transavia, then downsizing AF and sacking people will be inevitable. Or could they go on strike against that too, which potentially can result in bankruptcy?
Sep 22, 2014, 1:43 pm
#67
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 🇸🇬 🇭🇰 🇫🇷
Programs: Many
Posts: 4,749
Sep 22, 2014, 1:51 pm
#68
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
I avoid transiting France partly because of the risk of strikes and partly because of the superb service at CDG. I love visiting France, but have been had visits disrupted several times by strikes.
I have realized that striking is the French national sport.
I have realized that striking is the French national sport.
Sep 22, 2014, 1:53 pm
#69
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: The sky is my home
Programs: Concorde Mach 2 -UAMM- First to Fly A380/B787/B747-8i/FlyingHonu
Posts: 3,029
I live 3 hours away from the airport. Need to get a train to Paris at the crack of dawn and then out to the airport.
Sep 22, 2014, 1:54 pm
#70
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Paris, France
Programs: United, TAP Victoria, AVIOS
Posts: 480
Itīs also possible that the opposite is true; that management has been shortsighted, ineptly attempted to maneuver around the pilots by starting an alter ego airline, and has greatly underestimated the resolve of the pilots.
Sep 22, 2014, 2:33 pm
#71
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,538
AF tends to operate about 50% of CDG-NCE flights and about 20% of ORY-NCE flights. Question of luck I guess, you'll have to wait and see.
Sep 22, 2014, 2:47 pm
#72
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: A metal nomad
Programs: Mucci des Delices Exotiques,Order of the Platinum Hairbrush,Her Royal Diamond
Posts: 23,728
In the other thread (I didn't post the comment there, since I thought I should do it here), someone posted a video of planes on the tarmac, it looked like the pilots parked the planes on runways to block traffic, just like taxis do. Am I correct in this assumption?
Sep 22, 2014, 2:54 pm
#73
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Just a suggestion, but if you are getting up at dawn anyways, why not take a 6am TGV to Nice?
Sep 22, 2014, 2:55 pm
#74
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Paris, France
Programs: United, TAP Victoria, AVIOS
Posts: 480
I might be wrong but I thought maintenance personnel taxied aircraft to remote parking locations. It might look tight because there are apparently a lot of airplanes to park.
Sep 22, 2014, 2:55 pm
#75
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
I'm not that much of an outsider to believe that. I have heard AF management speak at length on this subject and the above characterization is not at all correct.