Following the strike action launched by one air traffic controller union for the period from Wednesday 8th April early morning shift to Thursday 9th April 2015 end of night shift, the French Civil Aviation Authority gave instructions to all airlines to update their flight schedule for 9th April to/from Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly as well as for the following airports: Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Nice and Nantes. 
The SNCTA union is objecting to plans to increase the retirement age from 57 to 59. Further industrial action is planned between 16th-18th April and 29th April-2nd May.
This morning, Thursday 9th April, at 6.45am Paris time, Air France updated its website to advise:
“We plan to operate for 9th April:
– Our whole long-haul programme
– 50% of our medium-haul programme to/from CDG
– One flight out of four to/from Orly
– 40% departing and arriving from other French airports
“Our flight schedule for Thursday 9th April is updated. Under these conditions, we highly recommend to rebook the alternate flight as from 10th April.
“Last-minute delays and cancellations can also be expected. Before going to the airport, we recommend you verify the flight schedule information updated in real time on our website.
“Moreover, in case of delay or cancellation, we propose our AF Connect service to inform our customers directly on their mobile phone or by e-mail. In order to be personally notified by AF Connect, Air France invites customers to update their personal contact details (mobile phone and /or email address) in their reservation file on the airline’s website, in the ‘Consult/Modify my bookings’ section.
“If you have a valid Air France ticket for a flight scheduled on 8th April or on 9th April on a short and medium-haul flight, we offer you the following possibilities:
– To postpone your flight from 10th April to 15th April 2015 included, with no extra cost, subject to availabilities.
You can make these changes on our website, in the ‘Consult/Modify my bookings’ section or on our mobile website in the ‘Manage my flights’ section.
– To postpone your flight after 15th April 2015, change your destination or origin or cancel your trip, you can benefit from a non-refundable voucher valid for one year on Air France, HOP! or KLM. In this case, please contact your usual travel agent.
– In case of a cancellation or delay over five hours, you can also request the refund of your ticket. For this option, we invite you to visit our ‘Practical information’ page if you have purchased your ticket at an Air France sales point, or contact your usual travel agency.
“We are doing everything possible to keep you informed and to minimise the inconvenience this strike may cause. We thank you for your understanding.”
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus advised: “Due to planned industrial action by French Air Traffic Controllers on Thursday 9th April we have been forced to cancel the following services: EI 526 Dublin to Paris and EI 527 Paris to Dublin.
“Customers impacted by these cancellations may change to another flight using the manage my booking facility or if they wish to cancel their travel plans may use our online facility to request a full refund.
“All other Aer Lingus flights between Ireland and France on Thursday 9th April are planned to operate. We will notify customers through all available communications channels should this situation change. Customers are advised to check the status of their flight on aerlingus.com prior to departing for the airport.
“We sincerely apologise to customers affected by these cancellations, which are due to matters beyond our control.”
Ryanair
Ryanair said: “Ryanair regrets to inform customers that it has been forced to cancel a further 250 flights on Thursday (9th April, over 500 in total this week) due to the ongoing French Air Traffic Control strike. Further cancellations and delays are likely and customers should check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport on the Ryanair.com website, where the latest information will be published.”
