You are here

France Travel Disruptions Continue - Advice and Information

  • Last Updated: 07/09/2010
  • Category: Strikes

Summary: French industrial strikes are set to commence on Tuesday, 23 November 2010 and may negatively affect air and train services. The strike action comes after the recent passing of planned pension reforms by French Parliament.

Advice for passengers and commuters:

  • Travellers should check with their relevant tour operators, airlines, airports and train and ferry companies for further advice before heading abroad.
  • Travellers are advised to monitor both French and UK media reports for more information.
  • Those due to fly can find information on flights at Euro Control (twitter channel).
  • Customers planning to travel in France by rail on Tuesday 23rd November 2010 should be entitled to a full refund. Information on intercity and international rail travel can be obtained from Infolignes, SNCF and Rail Europe.

Further information can also be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website as well as the British Embassy in Paris.

Background Information

On 27 October 2010, French Parliament passed the planned pension reform bill that will raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62 and the age at which people can retire with full pension from 65 to 67. The strikes have been held in protest against these reforms.

Last Updated: 28 October 2010

Summary: After the French Parliament passed the planned pension reform yesterday, another strike has hit air and train services.

Advice for passengers and commuters:

Travellers should check with their particular tour operators, airlines, airports and train companies before heading abroad.

Passengers should check their flight status before boarding.

The French Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) reported that flight schedules will return to normal by the weekend.

How have transport services been affected?

Air Traffic:

  • Half of all flights at Orly Airport outside Paris have been cancelled today, due to a day-long air-traffic controllers strike.
  • 30% of flights at Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport and other major airports in France have been grounded. Refer to the Paris airports authority website for more information about flights at Paris-Orly and Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport.
  • Air France cancelled some internal and European flights, however long-haul flights should remain unaffected. You can check your flight's status here.
  • At Birmingham Airport flights to and from Paris Charles De Gaulle are affected. See the Birmingham Airport website to check your flight's status.
  • East Midlands, Liverpool and Dublin Airports have also experienced disruptions. Please see the East Midlands Airport website, Liverpool Airport website, and Dublin Airport website for specific flight information.
  • In Switzerland, flights between France and the Geneva, Basel and Zurich airports are cancelled. See the Geneva Airport website, Basel Airport website, and Zurich Airport website for details.

Train Traffic:

Even though train services were disrupted, they have been disrupted less than in previous strikes:

  • According to the national railroad, four out of five high-speed trains will run, as will about three out of five regional and Paris commuter trains
  • Eurostar services to London are running normally
  • Paris Metro is expected to run near full capacity
  • The RER suburban line that serves Paris' two airports is running at half schedule

Is this the final strike?

Although some unions have called for another day of protests on 6 November, they are currently divided about the future course of action. Yesterday the lower house of parliament voted in favour of the bill that will raise the minimum retirement age to 62. This bill must now be vetted by the Constitutional Court before President Sarkozy declares it an official law.

Last Updated: 21 October 2010

Summary: As unions plan to hold the 7th day of nationwide protests, transport disruptions continue to affect roads, rail services and air travel.

Which transport services are affected?

The roads, rail and air travel services continue to be disrupted with heavy delays reported across France. Please see the update below for relevant details.

The latest development is that a port blockade has interrupted travel at Marseille Airport. Public transport has also come to a standstill in the area: trains have either been delayed or cancelled. For more flight information you can visit the Marseille Provence Airport website.

Advice for travellers:

Which other industries are experiencing a stoppage?

  • As the rubbish collectors' strike enters its 9th day, refuse is piling up on the streets, posing a public health hazard
  • Petrol station supplies are running low so the public are advised to stock up on their petrol as a precautionary measure
  • Refinery and fuel depot blockades have entered their 10th day, leading to nationwide shortages
  • There are continued go-slows on motorways as well as stoppages at regional airports
  • Energy supplies have been affected, leading to an import of electricity

Last Updated: 18 October 2010

Summary: France and Belgium's transport services are limited by strikes with rail and air travel being the most affected.

Which workers are striking?

Teachers, oil refinery workers, train drivers, truck drivers and other French workers are participating in the latest wave of strikes.

Which transport services will be affected?

Rail:

  • 1 in 2 fast TGV trains and 1 in 3 standard service trains are expected to continue running as normal. The Paris-Brussels high-speed train will be affected in particular, due to a separate strike in Belgium, while half of TGV journeys from Paris to Luxembourg will go ahead. More TGV information available here.
  • TER lines will offer a half service. More TER information available here.
  • Corail trains will only operate 1 in 3 of scheduled trains. More Corail information available here.
  • The Paris-London Eurostar won't be affected, nor will the service from Luxembourg to Germany be affected. More Eurostar information available here.
  • The majority of Metro lines are running smoothly. Get more information about the Metro here.
  • Trains to Belgium won't be operating between 10pm Sunday, 17 October, and 10pm Monday, 18 October. More information on intercity and international rail travel can be found on the Infolignes and SNCF websites.
  • Trains to Switzerland and Italy: While 7 out of 10 trains to Switzerland will continue running, train traffic towards Italy will be limited to returns from Paris to Milan.

Air:

The strikes are likely to affect international air traffic heading in and out of France. Please view the airport information below that relates to your personal travel itinerary:

  • Half of the flights at Paris Orly Airport have been cancelled. Get more details here.
  • A third of the flights at Roissy Charles de Gaulle have also been cancelled. Find out more here.
  • Get more information about flights at Nice Airport here.
  • Get flight information for Strasbourg Airport here.
  • Find out more about flights from Nantes Airport here.

Ferry:

Ports, including cross channel ferry ports, could be closed during the strike period. You are advised to contact your travel company for further details and advice.

What other public services will be closed?

  • Oil refineries and fuel depots: workers are striking at 8 of the country's 12 refineries while there are also blockades at some of France's 200 fuel depots.
  • Schools: according to the unions, 48% of teachers didn't show up to work, along with hundreds of school children who are showing their support.

How long will the strike last?

Some of the unions have announced rolling strikes, which could last days, if not weeks. So far, further strikes have been planned for Tuesday, 19 October.

Last Updated: 7 September 2010

Summary: As another bout of strikes hit France, due to a national strike, short and mid-haul flights in France will be restricted by up to 90% for the next 2 days. Local train services are also reduced by 50%.

Which airports are affected?

The strike is national and flights from/to all French airports may be affected.

  • Paris, Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport: 25% of arrivals and departures have been cancelled. Get more info here
  • Paris, Orly Airport: 25% of arrivals and departures cancelled. Get more info here
  • Nice Airport, Cote D'azur: A list of cancelled flights can be found here. Get more info here
  • Strasbourg Airport: Check their website for the latest information
  • Nantes Airport: Check their website for the latest information

You should check arrivals/departures boards for your airport and contact your airline for the latest information.

Which trains are affected?

  • Eurostar trains between Paris and the UK are unaffected
  • International trains to Italy, Germany and Spain are suspended
  • Internal train services are severely reduced, but some services are still running

Go to the the National Railway Corporation, the Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF), website for the latest information on your international train route in France.

The Paris Metro system is also severely affected. Go to RATP for more metro information.

When is the strike expected to end?

The strike began at 6pm (GMT) on Monday 6 September, and is expected to come to an end on Thursday 9 September at 6am.

Further advice:

If you have travel insurance which covers this strike action you should ensure you contact your claims department. Please ensure that you keep documentation of any planned travel that has been disrupted or alternative travel plans which you have been required to make.

Why is there a strike?

President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to increase the retirement age from 60 up to 62 and the age at which people can retire with a full pension from 65 to 67. The strikes have been held in protest against these plans.