When is an airline strike not an airline strike? When nearly 100 percent of your flights take off on time despite it.
Germany's national carrier Lufthansa apparently has some 52,000 union members who've agreed to strike over a pay rise. Since 10 pm last night strike action has been in place at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports, but according to reports, so far nearly all flights have left on time.
But the strike doesn't actually have an endpoint yet so some are predicting that things will get worse. Fears that Olympic athletes might have their flights to Beijing disrupted have, of course, really tugged at the heartstrings of German sports fans. Double-check your flights if you're booked on Lufthansa in the next few days or you might be bumped for a German volleyballer.
It may be a small island, but even the country of Malta requires trains and buses to cart its residents around. But not this week: Drivers of vehicles large and small are striking in protest of a government effort to offer more licenses for hearses.
The Federation for Public Transport authorized the strike after the government announced it would try to break what it described as a hearse monopoly--the business of the dead is practiced by just 11 licensees island-wide. The strike has led to the rise of "black taxis" (profit-motivated uncertified cabdrivers), but after an emergency bus service driven by armed forces was hijacked by transit workers, tourists are finding themselves on surprise walking vacations.
Also to be stretching their legs: the hundreds of students arriving for a Catholic schools' association athletic games on Saturday. But will strike lines part for the Pope?
Just when we were thinking we would skip all those cheap flights and take trains across Europe instead, the rail workers have started going on strike.
Today, getting from Britain to Belgium and beyond by train will be impossible as Belgian rail workers strike for 24 hours--putting Eurostar services through the Channel Tunnel out of action. From Wednesday night, French rail workers are having their turn, and although this probably won't affect Eurostar routes, any other trains around France on Thursday and Friday are likely to be delayed or canceled.
The Belgian workers are striking because they want more pay; in France, airline workers are likely to join in, too, and they're worried about pension reforms. We're just worried about your travel plans.
We're now less than two weeks away from a massive strike that could affect more than a million passengers at seven UK airports. Workers are upset about pension rules, and plan to walk out for 24 hours on January 7 and again on January 14. If that doesn't work, they'll strike for 48 hours beginning January 17.
Now, we're not sure that the strike will happen--the last one we heard about didn't--but if you're flying one of those days, you'd better call up your airline to ask about what might happen. That goes double if you're flying Virgin Atlantic: Cabin crews for the airline are planning two strikes of their own in January.
Hundreds of food service workers at San Francisco International have authorized a two-day strike if their demands for more pay and better benefits aren't met. That would mean no dry turkey sandwiches and no wilted caesar salads for the hundreds of thousands of travelers who would land at SFO during the potential work stoppage.
All 48 of the restaurants, bars and other food service outlets at the airport would shut down if a strike is called. Negotiations continue today and tomorrow, so workers likely won't walk out before the weekend, if at all.
We don't normally buy food at the airport, but a long delay--always a possibility at SFO--could quickly put a dent in our stash of trail mix. What could possibly make waiting out bad weather at the airport worse than no food? No bars!
The 19-day Broadway walkout is over, and once again you're free to spend beaucoup bucks on big-ticket theater. We're happy to see the strike end, though it did inject a bit of drama into the holidays in New York.
(Okay, technically, the dispute isn't over, as stagehands still have to ratify their new contract with producers. But at this point, it's almost a certainty that union members will approve the deal.)
Almost all the shows on the White Way will play tonight--so hit the TKTS booth ASAP for the best selection of discount admission. While not every production will be ready to re-open this evening, two theaters are taking advantage of eager audience members: "August: Osage County," a show from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre which was in previews when the strike began, goes up tonight with a new official opening date of December 4. And the evergreen musical "Chicago" has $26.50 tickets for the entire house (and the debuts of Aida Tuturro and Vincent Pastore) at its box office.
And remember, just because the banner shows are back doesn't mean that New York's off-Broadway and alternative theater has vanished. If theater's your thing, give the little guys a chance, too.
This Thanksgiving, most Broadway shows stayed dark due to the ongoing stagehands' strike, though the long weekend is typically one of the biggest of the year for New York theater receipts. Maybe the dreams of Thanksgiving Past--represented by a small child clutching a $20 color program and a hot pretzel--visited both sides, because two important developments may mean the return of Broadway before the cash-cow holiday season.
First, and most flashily, one closed show was allowed to re-open on Friday. "How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical" was the first show affected by the strike as it's been packing in extra shows just for the holiday season. The show appealed to the state Supreme Court, claiming it had its own agreement with the union (like some other still-open shows like "Mary Poppins" and "Xanadu") and was allowed to raise the curtain in time for the weekend.
Depending on where you stand on the strike, Dr. Seuss' greedy green creature may be emblematic of either side of this dispute. Both the producers and Local 1 went back into the negotiating room yesterday, hoping to stem the tide of losses which are estimated at $2 million per week. Nothing was resolved as talks went into the wee hours last night--but negotiations will resume tonight at 6:30.
We're hoping that the strike ends soon--not that we're buying those $100 tickets--because Broadway really does need it. But will the producers and Local 1 fall in line behind their Grinchy comerades?
The Broadway stagehand's strike is still on, and no one knows when the stare down might end. Judging by the interviews with tourists in the local New York media, you'd think there's not a damn thing to do in the city except see a big-ticket show.
But to us Broadway shows aren't usually worth it anyway. All you'll find in the Theater District are triple digit prices, swarms of clueless tourists clogging the streets and tired shows. (Honestly, Mamma Mia?!) Elsewhere in the city, the art of theater is moving forward with smaller, better productions with equivalent talent says noted producer Ken Davenport:
Spring Awakening, Avenue Q, Rent. All of those shows began their life off Broadway... Work stoppages aren't good for anyone, but for the moment the little brother is getting some attention.
So get out there and try something new. That's why you're traveling in the first place, isn't it?
0 Comments - Add Yours
by amandak
