Hundreds of flights cancelled across Europe this week – with up to 36,000 Brits affected
Airlines including
strikes
over working conditions and pay.
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3
Hundreds of flights in the UK have been cancelled this week
Credit: Reuters
This means that as many as 200 flights to and from the UK will be impacted each day on July 3 and July 4, according to
This works out to as many as 36,000 Brits.
The airline has also claimed that the strikes in
Greece
and
Spain
.
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Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said: "Once again European families are held to ransom by French Air Traffic Controllers going on strike.
"It is not acceptable that overflights over French airspace en route to their destination are being cancelled/delayed as a result of yet another French ATC strike.
"It makes no sense and is abundantly unfair on
holidays
."
In comparison, easyJet has been forced to cancel 22 UK touching flights today and 38, so far, for tomorrow.
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Across Europe the airline has made 124 cancellations in total for today and 150 so far, for tomorrow.
An easyJet spokesperson said: "As required by the French authorities (DGAC)
"While this is outside of our control, we will do all we can to minimise the impact of the strike action.
Flight cancelled or delayed? Top tips for handling travel disruptions
"On behalf of our passengers we are extremely unhappy with the strike action, particularly given the current performance of French ATC which has been the leading cause of airspace delays in
summer
.
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"Long term solutions must be found for our customers and crew who suffer repeated disruption."
The strike, which is being led by UNSA-INCA and SNCTA unions, will involve 60-70 per cent of ATCs.
Anton Radchenko, aviation expert and founder of AirAdvisor explained that the strikes will also cause the airspace to narrow, and as a result the backlog will spread quickly to hubs like Heathrow, Gatwick, and
Manchester
.
He said: "What many
travellers
underestimate is how vulnerable short-haul schedules are to even minor disruptions.
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3
This means that around 150-200 UK flights will be impacted each day on July 3 and July 4
Credit: AFP
"Unlike long-haul routes, where airlines often have contingency buffers, short-haul flights operate on tight rotations."
For example, one delay in
Lyon
or
He continued: "My top advice is to travel with full situational awareness.
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"If your itinerary connects through France or overflies its airspace, even to destinations like
"Take screenshots of every notification, keep every receipt, and escalate immediately if your
"Under
New EU rules also mean Brits will now get
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Plus, Ryanair has warned of
3
The strike is also anticipated to impact Brits flying o other destinations including Greece and Spain
Credit: AFP
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