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Another Month, Another French Transportation Strike

The week of your trip to Paris has finally arrived, and you’re fully packed and ready to go. There’s just one problem that might screw up your plans, as there might be a little bit of a transportation strike.

French unions are calling for a travel strike beginning today, but don’t worry, the country is still going to be open for business. It just might take a little more patience if you’re getting there by plane. The plan is a four-day strike across all sectors of the country’s aviation services, so that means back-up plans and deep breaths area required if you’re flying through or to spots like Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

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Travel Alerts / LHR / LGW / London Travel / Strikes / Travel News / → All Tags

A Major Strike Will Gum Up the Works at UK Airports This Wednesday

Heading to the UK this Wednesday, November 30? Bring a book, a snack and loads of patience because for the second time this year, the UK Borders and Customs employees who stamp your passports will be on strike.

The last strike by the PCS Union was exactly five months ago, on June 30, and we just happened to fly into London-Heathrow and get stuck in the middle of it (and the line's 17 switchbacks). Although Heathrow had obviously prepared well by handing out both bottled water and kid activity packs, the nightmare of standing for nearly three hours in the most boring, bureaucratic environment ever still happened. Just listen for your flight crew to warn you about "industrial action," as our Virgin Atlantic FAs did, just to make sure we were aware what exactly was the holdup.

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Airport News / Strikes / LHR / LGW / London Travel / Political Travel / → All Tags

Today's Strike at London Airports Means Waiting At Least Two Hours for a Passport Stamp

As dawn crept over the horizon and first light hit the wingtips of UK-bound airplanes, their passengers just waking to the questions of "vegetable frittata or full English breakfast?," London's major airports were bracing for an onslaught. This is strike day, when members of PCS Union, the UK's fifth largest trade union, walk out and go instead to protest in central London. For airports, this means severely decreased numbers of staff at the border for passport and immigration processing and severely increased line waits.

Of course today had to be the day we flew in to London-Heathrow and witnessed the melee ourselves.

Our flight—Virgin Atlantic 46 from JFK, landed early thanks to nice tail winds, but even hitting passport control at 7am couldn't save us from a line wait of two hours just for a passport stamp. For what it's worth, Heathrow was taking the situation quite seriously; our pilot warned everyone before landing to expect delays, staff handed out kid activity kits and water bottles throughout the passport control area, and they managed to staff the booths to about 30-40%.

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Flight Attendants / Strikes / American Airlines / Airline News / → All Tags

AA Flight Attendants Practice Their Strike Skills Later This Month

Just in time for the holidays, the flight attendants of American Airlines are getting ready to strike. Well, not exactly, but they are trying to prove a point and are hoping to do so with a simulated strike on November 18. They’ll be fake striking this month to get some practice under their belts, because if they don’t get what they want, there might be some real strikes once 2010 rolls around.

You’ll know if you’re aboard a faux strike flight as the flight attendants will be wearing red and yellow badges attached to their union pins with slogans like “Got Guts” and “Got Union”—guess that’s better than "hell no we won’t go." The flight attendants have promised that none of their actions will affect the operations of any flights. We’ll hope they stick to their words and that there are no overzealous flight attendants that go a little too far to prove a point.

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Jet Airways / India Travel / Strikes / Airline Pilots / Airline News / → All Tags

Half Of Jet Airways' Pilots Call In Sick, Attempt To Form Union

India's third largest airline Jet Airways has been going through some troubled times lately. From selling off planes to fight economic woes and having to cut prices by 40% to try and get some more passengers on board, they have drawn the short straw in terms of airline luck this year.

Now their latest drama has involved a sustained campaign by pilots to call in sick. From last Tuesday, more than half of the airline's pilots said they were unable to fly due to illness—their version of striking, since the rules forbid them from striking without giving management sufficient advance warning. The reason for the "strike" is that four pilots were sacked after asking the management to recognize the union they'd formed.

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Public Transportation / Strikes / The Tube / London Travel / → All Tags

London's Underground Expected to Come to a Halt as Strike Begins

If you're in London, you won't need to "Mind the Gap." You'll need to mind the underground strike that's threatening the city tonight. Thousands of London's unionized underground workers are expected to stay away from their posts for the next 48 hours as part of a protest over pay and disciplinary issues. And the timing couldn't be worse.

About 3.5 million people use the subway system, colloquially known as 'The Tube,' every weekday, and its closure is expected to cause disruption across the capital. It's also expected to cause problems for the thousands of fans coming to north London's Wembley Stadium for England's World Cup qualifying soccer match against Andorra on Wednesday.

Backup plans have been put into place such as extra buses, taxi-sharing at major rail stations and free river shuttle services. And of course, walking and cycling are encouraged.

Related Stories:
· London faces travel chaos as subway workers strike [AP]
· Underground strike begins as talks collapse [Times Uk]

787 / Boeing / Strikes / ANA / Japan Airlines / → All Tags

Boeing Pushes Back Dreamliner Deliveries Yet Again

We're about to stop handicapping the odds that Boeing will ever get these 787s built: A spokeswoman told aviation blog FleetBuzz that thanks to a crippling machinists strike, the Dreamliner won't be making its first flight before the end of 2008 as previously planned. That means it's almost certain that deliveries to carriers like ANA and Japan Airlines won't happen until 2010.

Here's what Boeing had to say:

First flight of the 787 Dreamliner will not be accomplished in the fourth quarter of 2008. The timeframe for first flight has not been established and will be based on the strike recovery assessment. The program is working to determine a new program schedule that will be announced when it is finalized.

Adding to the trouble are newly discovered quality control issues with fasteners, the variety of dodads that hold the plane together. Needless to say, you can't make test flights when you're worried that the plane isn't bolted together right!

Related Stories:
· Boeing 787 First Flight Delayed [FleetBuzz]
· Boeing 787 Schedule Pushed Back Again [USA Today]
· Could the Dreamliner Be Flying by 2009? [Jaunted]

Boeing / 787 / Strikes / ANA / V Australia / → All Tags

Could the Dreamliner Be Flying by 2009?

A tentative deal has been made between Boeing and its machinists union, which could end the nearly two-month-long strike that's halted production at its Everett, Washington factory. It's likely that the union will vote to approve the deal, which promises a 15 percent raise over four years and protects union jobs.

Once a deal is done, workers can get back to rolling out airplanes, in particular the 777, which new airline V Australia is anxiously awaiting after pushing back its launch date because of the strike. Meanwhile, ANA, the launch customer for the much-anticipated 787, was planning for deliveries this winter, but after countless delays already, that seems about as likely as Ted Stevens turning down a Bridge to Nowhere.

Boeing currently says the fuel efficient Dreamliner will debut by the end of 2009, but at least one supplier says 2010 is more likely. And that's just the first plane: More than 900 have been ordered, and the company will only be able to make a few 787s a month until at least 2012.

Related Stories:
· Tentative Deal Reached in Boeing Strike [Seattle P-I]
· Goodrich Says Boeing's 787 May Be Delayed [Bloomberg]
· Boeing Says More Delays Probable [Reuters]
· Boeing coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikipedia]

Lufthansa / Strikes / Airlines / → All Tags

Lufthansa Strike Not Noticed Yet

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.

Related Stories:
· Lufthansa Votes for 1st Strike in 13 Years [Reuters]
· Lufthansa Says Flights Not Hit By Strike [Reuters]
· Lufthansa coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: nasebaer]

Strikes / Public Transportation / → All Tags

Strike Travel: Malta Stopped Dead by Protests

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?

Related Stories:
· Strikes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Times of Malta]

Train Travel / Strikes / Eurostar / Europe Travel / → All Tags

Strike One for Train Travel in Europe

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.

Related Stories:
· European Strike Hits Travelers [BBC]
· Strikes Coverage [Jaunted]
· Train Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: lazytom]

UK Travel / Airports / Strikes / → All Tags

Adventures of Link: More Strikes in '08

Think this is bad?

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.

Related Stories:
· Strike May Close Airports [IHT]
· Strike Talks Set to Begin [BBC]
· Non-Union Workers Getting Security Training [Telegraph]
· Airport Strike Is "Imminent" [Passenger Terminal Today]
· Strikes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: PDAgrl]