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Flights grounded at French airports due to air traffic controllers’ strike

A French air traffic controllers' strike on Thursday has caused flights to be cancelled and led to travel disruption for passengers flying in and out of France.

Published: 28 June 2023 16:40 CEST
Updated: 29 June 2023 12:17 CEST

Flights grounded at French airports due to air traffic controllers' strike

A Wizzair plane taking off at Beauvais airport, northern Paris. (Photo by Eric FEFERBERG / AFP)

The French air traffic controllers – Direction générale de l’aviation civil, or DGAC – announced that disruption is to be expected on Thursday, June 29th, for those flying into or out of Paris Beauvais airport, located about 100km outside the city and known as a hub for budget airlines like Ryanair.

Two other airports in France are also affected by the strike action, leading to flight groundings – Brest, in the far west of the country, and Carcassonne, in the south.

Thursday’s strike did not affect the main French airports, such as Charles de Gaulle and Orly, the DGAC said, or carriers flying over France.

All flights at the three airports are expected to be fully grounded throughout the day on Thursday, with disruption continuing until Friday morning at 6am. This represents a change, as previously, the DGAC had requested that half of flights be cancelled.

#Perturbations | Mouvement social national du 29 juin 2023. pic.twitter.com/xkjS9VCCX9

— Direction générale de l'aviation civile 🇫🇷🇪🇺 (@DGAC) June 28, 2023

For those with flight plans passing through the Beauvais, Brest, or Carcassonne airports, it is advised to check your flight status with your airline operator prior to departing. The DGAC recommends that those who can delay their travel do so.

The strike, over working conditions, follows sporadic stoppages by air traffic controllers seen between March and May in protest against the government’s reform of the French pensions system.

For those flying in or out of the Geneva airport in Switzerland, there may also be delays on Thursday, June 29th, as unions have threatened strike action due to disagreements over the airport’s new remuneration policy.

You can keep up to date with strike action in France at The Local’s strike section.

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Can I use my American Express card in France?

While many European establishments do accept American Express cards, outside of the US they are significantly less common and many businesses, especially smaller ones, refuse them.

Why are American Express cards not accepted?

According to Forbes, it has to do with the fact that American Express is known for charging “higher merchant fees than other credit card networks.

“In other words: It’s more cost-efficient for many businesses (especially low-margin ones) to take Visa or Mastercard instead.”

The business magazine also noted that American Express credit card transactions made up just 4.61 percent globally. Whereas Visa and Mastercard transactions were significantly more common – making up 38 percent and 24 percent of the market share respectively.

READ MORE: Is it a good idea to rent a car in Paris?

What should I do if I have an AmEx card?

Travel blogs often recommend that AmEx holders bring along a Visa or Mastercard as well, in case they run into issues.

You can also consult American Express’ interactive map, which shows the businesses in France that definitely accept the card.

However, the map may not show every business that accepts AmEx, so feel free to ask (est-ce que vous acceptez les cartes ‘American Express’?) before sitting down for a meal or making a purchase.

You can also look to see whether the store displays an AmEx sticker in the window.

Generally, American Express cards are less likely to be accepted in small businesses – neighbourhood restaurants, cafés or independent shops – due to the reasons outlined above. You have a better chance of your AmEx card being accepted in larger companies and chains.

It’s also not accepted by all French apps for payment – so for example if you’re buying national rail tickets you can use AmEx for the SNCF Connect app, but it is not accepted by the Paris public transport app Ile de France Mobilities (which offers digital Metro, bus and tram tickets).

Any other things to consider?

Contactless payment (sans contact) is becoming much more common in France, albeit only for lower-value purchases. If your AmEx card does not have the chip that allows you to tap and pay, then you may want to take cash out or bring another card along.

If you still have an old-style card that requires swiping and signing, be aware that most smaller French businesses do not have this payment option.

ATMs should accept your AmEx card, so you should not have any issues being able to put in your pin number and take out cash, though there may be fees.

You’ll also want to look into the transaction fees associated with your card. Some AmEx cards offer the benefit of no foreign transaction fees, while others still charge them.

Finally, while AmEx no longer requires cardholders to inform them ahead of time if they will be travelling abroad, they still recommend “keeping your contact information updated in case we need to contact you while you’re away” and “downloading the Amex mobile app to conveniently manage your account on the go.”

READ MORE: Brits, Americans or Germans – who visits France the most?

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