FRANCE: Air France cabin crews to strike

Air France air hostesses and stewards will go on strike from 28 March, in a protest against the company’s plan to reduce operating costs to compete with low-cost airlines.

All Air France cabin crew unions have announced they will take part in the walkout from 28 March, just days ahead of the start of the company’s summer itinerary on 1 April.

The strike could last four days, if no agreement is reached.

The unions are opposing the company’s 54-million-euro austerity plan, which mainly consists of increasing short and medium-range haul productivity by 20 per cent.

Air France claim their operating costs in this sector are between 30 to 40 per cent higher than their budget airline competitors’, but unions question these figures.

If no agreement can be reached before 28 March all of Air France’s lines serving France, Europe, Moscow, North Africa and Israel will be affected by the union’s walkouts, a spokesperson said.

The walkout coincides with the second batch of British Airways strikes on 28 March. Portuguese pilots are also due to walk out from 26 to 31 March.