Air France Grounds Half of Long-Distance Flights As Workers Call Strike

Air France canceled about 50 percent of its long-haul services out of Paris on Thursday, as roughly a third of its workforce prepared to walk off the job in a bid for higher pay. The action is expected to last 24 hours.

Air France was seeking to minimize the impact with frequent updates to passengers, and by waiving change and rebooking fees for those affected by the action. The waivers permit customers to make one change to their itineraries if the rebooked flight takes place by Feb. 27. Passengers can also get a credit for the unused portion of their itinerary to apply toward future travel, the airline said.

KLM, which is part of the same airline company, wasn’t affected by the strike, and a majority of the airline’s short and medium haul flights were expected to operate.

In a statement, Air France said that it “regrets this situation and is making every effort to minimize the inconvenience this strike action may cause to its customers.” It pointed out that it has sent nearly 60,000 texts and messages to all customers holding reservations on Thursday. However, the threat of future walk-offs can’t be ruled out. Employees of the French flag carrier have demanded a 6% raise, but the carrier’s management has yet to agree to any increase in wages.