Chaos

I will not be able to fly back to Bristol this afternoon. I came back home for a week and my flight back was scheduled for today, 24th June, at 5pm. Nobody flying to/from (and over) France will not be able to fly at least today, and probably for the following 6 days.

French Air Traffic Controllers are on strike. For 6 days. Yes, 6 days. I have heard about the strike a week ago but I was hoping they would get to an agreement by today. No, they didn't. And now, thousands of travelers around Europe will be affected with delays up to 13,000 hours. This is unacceptable!

It's the second time in 4 months that my flight has been cancelled due to French air controllers' strike. Nonetheless, I am lucky. At the end of the day, I am home. I have my work laptop with me and I will be able to work from here. I feel sorry for those who are stuck in other countries, forced to pay for extra nights at the hotel, or those who now need to take some extra days off because they cannot go to work tomorrow. Or even those who had planned to go on holiday between 24-30th June. Probably, they won't be able to enjoy their holidays and as if this weren't enough, they might not be refunded.

Bristol Airport expects disruptions to flights and advises to check with your airline for updates. You might be lucky, you might not. In any case, as British say: keep calm and carry on.