French protestors are not giving up, blocking roads including access to airports, causing flight delays and cancellations, and leaving most gas stations to run dry, everything a traveler might want to avoid.
The situation is so bad, even Lady Gaga who was due to perform in Paris over the weekend, October 22 and 23, doesn’t want to go there, calling off the scheduled concerts. While fans can get a refund for their tickets it's probable that many have already arrived in Paris for the show, and there’s no refund for inconvenience.
Airlines are also big losers, Air France reported the protests have already cost 25 million Euros, or around five million Euros each strike day.
U.S. carriers have published advisories on their website, such as the following announcement made by Delta airlines:
“Advisory: Strike in France
A General Strike could delay or disrupt flight schedules in France. This strike could affect flights through October 23, 2010. Delta is planning to operate all flights arriving and departing CDG at this time; however, disruptions are possible. Additionally, flight delays and cancellations are possible for Air France operated service within Europe. Please check your flight status before you travel to the airport”.
In the meantime, French workers vow to step up protests with rolling strikes continuing against government plans to raise the pension age from 60 to 62.
The head of the powerful CGT union Bernard Thibault said that there is "no reason to stop these protests" and "we recommend further action from next week."
Comments
Good for the French-they are standing up for better treatment in the workplace and they are serious about it!
I heard about Gaga's cancellation this morning on Z100 - thanks for the background on the strikes. Very scary for those traveling to one of my favorite cities...I hope they can reach a solution soon.
Great information to share with us, Grettel!
It's very bad, a friend of mine showed me some videos of the riots in Lyon that are absolutely frightening.
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