France - ATC strike 21 - 23 March 2018, MAD/BCN also affected
#1
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,464
France - ATC strike 21 - 23 March 2018, MAD/BCN also affected
There is a series of transport related strikes on the card for the next few weeks, with French ATC due to strike from 18:00 hrs GMT Wednesday 21 March to Friday 23 March 05:00 hrs.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a8264016.html
So there are customer guidelines for BA passengers with BA tickets, for all of France, plus Barcelona and Madrid, allowing rebooking of travel scheduled for 21 and 22 March to dates from 20 March to 27 March, so long as the rebooked date is not the 22 March. My experience is that flights from places like BIO and LIS will simply go a long way around Brittany, but that may well lead to delays. BCN and MAD may do the same but the extra distance is quite substantial.
Advice for British Airways-125 ticketed customers whose BA flight is still OPERATING
Rebook onto British Airways
Airports affected
To or from:-
France - any BA destination
MAD (Madrid)
BCN (Barcelona)
Tickets issued by
20 March 2018
Ticket travel dates
21 - 22 March 2018
New travel dates
20 - 21 March 2018
OR
23 27 March 2018
Rebooking Allowance
Rebook into the same class as the original flight or lowest available in the same cabin
Origin/Destination/Stopover changes
No
Refunds Allowed
No
Redemptions included
Yes
Available for Trade
Yes
Important Info
one involuntary ticket change allowed
Includes connecting services on BA/JB/BA* if issued on the same ticket. Connections on other carriers need to be booked into the same class as original (or class allowed in the fare rules)
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel...-a8264016.html
So there are customer guidelines for BA passengers with BA tickets, for all of France, plus Barcelona and Madrid, allowing rebooking of travel scheduled for 21 and 22 March to dates from 20 March to 27 March, so long as the rebooked date is not the 22 March. My experience is that flights from places like BIO and LIS will simply go a long way around Brittany, but that may well lead to delays. BCN and MAD may do the same but the extra distance is quite substantial.
Advice for British Airways-125 ticketed customers whose BA flight is still OPERATING
Rebook onto British Airways
Airports affected
To or from:-
France - any BA destination
MAD (Madrid)
BCN (Barcelona)
Tickets issued by
20 March 2018
Ticket travel dates
21 - 22 March 2018
New travel dates
20 - 21 March 2018
OR
23 27 March 2018
Rebooking Allowance
Rebook into the same class as the original flight or lowest available in the same cabin
Origin/Destination/Stopover changes
No
Refunds Allowed
No
Redemptions included
Yes
Available for Trade
Yes
Important Info
one involuntary ticket change allowed
Includes connecting services on BA/JB/BA* if issued on the same ticket. Connections on other carriers need to be booked into the same class as original (or class allowed in the fare rules)
#2
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Lausanne Switzerland
Programs: BA Gold; Swiss Blue
Posts: 1,244
From experience GVA flights also get knocked a bit when French ATC have a little spat like this...
More often delays but can get knock-on cancellations
The flights often take the long route over BE/NL, DE and over CH to arrive at GVA...
More often delays but can get knock-on cancellations
The flights often take the long route over BE/NL, DE and over CH to arrive at GVA...
Last edited by SWISSBOBBY; Mar 21, 2018 at 1:18 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,510
Every year again ... I hope everyone gets to their destination without too much delay! Set to fly over French airspace myself on coming Friday, Saturday and Monday so hope it'll be over by then.
#4
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Chelsea
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,224
Thanks for the heads up. My Ryanair flight tomorrow has been cancelled and with no reasonable alternative I have rebooked on BA for Friday morning. Am now 441 poorer. Still, at least it saves a schlepp to Stansted.
#5
Join Date: May 2014
Programs: BAEC, A3 M&B
Posts: 268
Thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about your trouble - you would probably have saved money had things gone well, but this nicely shows the real cost of FR's "low fares" if anything happens.
#6
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Chelsea
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,224
The problem here is this a three-times-a-week route, and with the next scheduled flight being on Sunday a weekend away becomes a moot point. Nevermind, at least I have a premium experience on BA to look forward to. Oh hang on ... 😂
#8
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 57
We are supposed to be flying EDI-CDG with AF tomorrow AM, then home BA ORY-LCY-EDI tomorrow evening.
Its my wifes birthday and she had a spare days leave, so we thought we go to Paris for the day to celebrate.
From past experience is it likely that most of the BA schedule to/from Paris is cancelled with events like this?
We both need to be at work on Friday, so the worst case scenario would be getting stuck in Paris (normally that would be fine, but not on a day trip)
Its my wifes birthday and she had a spare days leave, so we thought we go to Paris for the day to celebrate.
From past experience is it likely that most of the BA schedule to/from Paris is cancelled with events like this?
We both need to be at work on Friday, so the worst case scenario would be getting stuck in Paris (normally that would be fine, but not on a day trip)
#9
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
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Posts: 63,464
Where BA is generally getting better is in the pro-active cancellation process, it follows a particular pattern: if they are going to cancel Thursday's flight pro-actively they will do so about by around 17 hrs today, and perhaps a couple of hours before that. So keep your mobile phone to hand (assuming you booked directly via your BAEC account) and think about what plan B looks like using purely BA/Aer Lingus metal. Then call in before everyone else does. That said, LCY seems to take delays more than cancellations, it doesn't often feature in the pro-active listings.
#10
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 57
I don't think past experience helps here, I'm sure I'm not alone in recalling everything from "all services cancelled" to "pretty much unaffected" and everything in between. You can stare at the crystal ball for as long as you like and still get another outcome.
Where BA is generally getting better is in the pro-active cancellation process, it follows a particular pattern: if they are going to cancel Thursday's flight pro-actively they will do so about by around 17 hrs today, and perhaps a couple of hours before that. So keep your mobile phone to hand (assuming you booked directly via your BAEC account) and think about what plan B looks like using purely BA/Aer Lingus metal. Then call in before everyone else does. That said, LCY seems to take delays more than cancellations, it doesn't often feature in the pro-active listings.
Where BA is generally getting better is in the pro-active cancellation process, it follows a particular pattern: if they are going to cancel Thursday's flight pro-actively they will do so about by around 17 hrs today, and perhaps a couple of hours before that. So keep your mobile phone to hand (assuming you booked directly via your BAEC account) and think about what plan B looks like using purely BA/Aer Lingus metal. Then call in before everyone else does. That said, LCY seems to take delays more than cancellations, it doesn't often feature in the pro-active listings.
#11
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: MUCCI Classe des Flatteurs Preferes, LH SEN, BA silver, IHG Plat Amb, Accor Plat
Posts: 960
We are supposed to be flying EDI-CDG with AF tomorrow AM, then home BA ORY-LCY-EDI tomorrow evening.
Its my wifes birthday and she had a spare days leave, so we thought we go to Paris for the day to celebrate.
From past experience is it likely that most of the BA schedule to/from Paris is cancelled with events like this?
We both need to be at work on Friday, so the worst case scenario would be getting stuck in Paris (normally that would be fine, but not on a day trip)
Its my wifes birthday and she had a spare days leave, so we thought we go to Paris for the day to celebrate.
From past experience is it likely that most of the BA schedule to/from Paris is cancelled with events like this?
We both need to be at work on Friday, so the worst case scenario would be getting stuck in Paris (normally that would be fine, but not on a day trip)
The Paris public transport will be affected, but still running. RER line B to / from CDG and OrlyVal 3 out of 4 trains on average will run (2 out of 3 in rush hour). Metro will apparently run almost as normal.
Also be aware that even if flights are not cancelled, you can get long delays waiting for departure slots.
#12
Join Date: Feb 2017
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 57
Be aware that it is a general strike day in France, not just the air traffic control. Have you had any news on whether your Air France flight is operating? I've seen on one website that their cabin crew have been called to strike that day, but haven't seen the anticipated impact yet.
The Paris public transport will be affected, but still running. RER line B to / from CDG and OrlyVal 3 out of 4 trains on average will run (2 out of 3 in rush hour). Metro will apparently run almost as normal.
Also be aware that even if flights are not cancelled, you can get long delays waiting for departure slots.
The Paris public transport will be affected, but still running. RER line B to / from CDG and OrlyVal 3 out of 4 trains on average will run (2 out of 3 in rush hour). Metro will apparently run almost as normal.
Also be aware that even if flights are not cancelled, you can get long delays waiting for departure slots.
The AF flight is still showing as scheduled. Its a 0610 departure, so if the inbound flight makes it to EDI tonight, then it may depart tomorrow (at some point)
#15
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, Club Carlson Gold, HHonors Gold, Best Western Diamond Select, BA Blue
Posts: 1,335
I'm in Paris at the moment, hoping to return on Friday. Flight is still showing as on-time, but I notice that the last CDG-LHR flight tonight has already been cancelled by BA, so I imagine others will be too.
Judging from the reporting here, it looks like the action will end on Thursday night / early hours of Friday morning, so most of Friday should be okay.
Judging from the reporting here, it looks like the action will end on Thursday night / early hours of Friday morning, so most of Friday should be okay.