How the Air France strike could affect travel

Thousands of Air France passengers all over the world faced disruptions to their itineraries Thursday, following a labour strike involving the carrier’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff. According to a representative from Air France’s office in Paris, 28% of its employees went on strike on today, which forced the airline to cancel 25% of its flights scheduled for the day. Long-haul flights are the most affected: the airline plans to operate only 50% of those scheduled to depart from Paris. However, Air France will still operate 75% of its medium-haul flights to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport and 85% of its short-haul flights. “I know of many Air France passengers who have had to rearrange their itineraries by leaving a day earlier or later or have had to reschedule their trips all together,” said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst. To add confusion to an already aggravating situation, Michael Holtz, the owner of SmartFlyer, said that Air France has several code share partners such as Delta, Korean Air and Aeromexico. This could potentially mean that passengers who have purchased their tickets through those airlines may be scheduled to fly on a plane operated by Air France. The carrier is recommending that its fliers with reservations today postpone their trips or change their tickets at no extra cost. Passengers can reschedule their flights up to Feb. 27 free of charge. They also have the option to receive a voucher for the value of their ticket on Air France or KLM, which will be valid for one year. They can also cancel their flights and receive a full refund. <br/>