Spring Strike!
The friendly skies? Not so much.
Lufthansa pilots just had a strike. British Airways flight attendants are planning a strike. Now French (and possibly Greek) air controllers are on strike. French air traffic controllers are in day two of their action and air traffic is suffering from all of the above.
As Spring break approaches, what better time for air controllers to call a five-day-long strike? On Tuesday, France’s civil aviation authority ordered airlines to cancel 25 percent of the flights at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, which is a major hub for air travel in the European Union. At this time, intercontinental flights are expected to operate. But short and medium-haul flights were disrupted Tuesday and significant cancellations and delays are anticipated today and until the end of the week.
Fifty percent of flights at Orly, Paris’s smaller airport, which serves destinations within the European Union, French overseas territories and North Africa, have been canceled. Some smaller French airports have closed completely.
This strike follows Lufthansa’s main pilots’ union agreeing to postpone its strike until March 9th. Even though the German airline agreed to return to the bargaining table, its flight schedule has already been disrupted. Air travelers should expect to be victims of the domino effect.
As of Wednesday morning, flights from Paris to the U.S. are operating, but expect delays.
In the UK, the union representing more than 12,000 British Airways cabin crew members voted Monday to strike over changes introduced late last year to employees’ contracts and a proposed two-year pay freeze. Air traffic controllers in Greece planned a 24-hour strike today to protest planned government budget cuts — the second such strike in less than a month there. Athens International Airport warned on its Web site that all flights into and out of the Greek capital would be canceled as of midnight.
Before leaving for the airport, confirm that your flight is operating and be prepared to wait.
A trip insurance from Insurance Services of America is designed to protect you if a strike hinders your travel plans. Naturally there are some exclusions, and policy wording can be confusing, so for regular folks like you and me, here’s how it breaks down:
In order for you to be covered in the event of a strike, you must purchase your trip insurance at least 14 days before you depart, and if a strike has already been announced prior to you purchasing coverage, it will not be covered. (This goes back to the old cliché about purchasing homeowners insurance while your house is on fire.)
So what can Insurance Services Of America policyholders expect if they get stuck due to the strikes? While their fellow stranded passengers clamor for the ticket counter, our clients need only make a quick phone call while our travel assistants take care of business.
Due to the worldwide financial crisis, travel experts do not anticipate things getting better any time soon, in fact, they say it will probably get worse. Right about now, you might be planning your summer travel, and there is no better time to make sure your trip insurance is in place before another strike is announced.
Call the experts at Insurance Services Of America to help you find the perfect plan for your travel needs.
Lufthansa pilots just had a strike. British Airways flight attendants are planning a strike. Now French (and possibly Greek) air controllers are on strike. French air traffic controllers are in day two of their action and air traffic is suffering from all of the above.
As Spring break approaches, what better time for air controllers to call a five-day-long strike? On Tuesday, France’s civil aviation authority ordered airlines to cancel 25 percent of the flights at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, which is a major hub for air travel in the European Union. At this time, intercontinental flights are expected to operate. But short and medium-haul flights were disrupted Tuesday and significant cancellations and delays are anticipated today and until the end of the week.
Fifty percent of flights at Orly, Paris’s smaller airport, which serves destinations within the European Union, French overseas territories and North Africa, have been canceled. Some smaller French airports have closed completely.
This strike follows Lufthansa’s main pilots’ union agreeing to postpone its strike until March 9th. Even though the German airline agreed to return to the bargaining table, its flight schedule has already been disrupted. Air travelers should expect to be victims of the domino effect.
As of Wednesday morning, flights from Paris to the U.S. are operating, but expect delays.
In the UK, the union representing more than 12,000 British Airways cabin crew members voted Monday to strike over changes introduced late last year to employees’ contracts and a proposed two-year pay freeze. Air traffic controllers in Greece planned a 24-hour strike today to protest planned government budget cuts — the second such strike in less than a month there. Athens International Airport warned on its Web site that all flights into and out of the Greek capital would be canceled as of midnight.
Before leaving for the airport, confirm that your flight is operating and be prepared to wait.
A trip insurance from Insurance Services of America is designed to protect you if a strike hinders your travel plans. Naturally there are some exclusions, and policy wording can be confusing, so for regular folks like you and me, here’s how it breaks down:
In order for you to be covered in the event of a strike, you must purchase your trip insurance at least 14 days before you depart, and if a strike has already been announced prior to you purchasing coverage, it will not be covered. (This goes back to the old cliché about purchasing homeowners insurance while your house is on fire.)
So what can Insurance Services Of America policyholders expect if they get stuck due to the strikes? While their fellow stranded passengers clamor for the ticket counter, our clients need only make a quick phone call while our travel assistants take care of business.
Due to the worldwide financial crisis, travel experts do not anticipate things getting better any time soon, in fact, they say it will probably get worse. Right about now, you might be planning your summer travel, and there is no better time to make sure your trip insurance is in place before another strike is announced.
Call the experts at Insurance Services Of America to help you find the perfect plan for your travel needs.
800-647-4589
posted by ISA Brokers at
12:04 PM
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