This is reminiscent of last year when I had visitors over Easter who became stranded because of the strikes.
http://www.thelocal.fr/20160321/more-flights-cancelled-as-french-air-strike-bites
I hope this doesn't affect anyone who needs to travel at the moment.
I didn't suggest you were seeking sympathy - I just gave it.
No budget airline would offer to pay hotel bills for 4 nights on the slim chance they had a seat available the following Friday.... especially if the flight cancellation was beyond their control and they had no legal liability. Nor would they offer to pay alternative transport costs. If that was the case, the rest of the passengers probably would have been alongside you on Eurostar.
I've flown with Ryanair for many years. It's never a particularly pleasant experience, but.. in general, one gets what one pays for. I've been disappointed in the service quite a few times.. but never misinformed.
I guess I must be lucky.
The point I make is that the woman on the information desk told us that we would be refunded for hotel costs and meals whilst waiting for future seating , and when I said I could not wait she said that I must send my transport receipts to the address on a paper she provided. I did not read the paper until later. It was simply a copy of their obligations in the event of their error, not in event of industrial action by others. In other words she was misinforming people.
I do not seek sympathy, just to report what happened to the passengers from my plane.
Thanks Valerie!
They're not that easy to see actually. Where they mentioned Ryanair, BA, Easyjet etc, hovering over their names it took you to their flight information. I'm just glad you're home safe now!
May I ask....If the Ryanair flight was cancelled due to the industrial action in France, why should they be liable for the cost of the alternative mode of transport you have chosen? If they do not have any other flights available, what else could they have done other than offer to reimburse the cost of your ticket?
Sorry if I sound unsympathetic (I genuinely do sympathise - I have been in the same position as yourself and it is incredibly frustrating).... but I fail to see what else Ryanair could be expected to do.
What a complete - and expensive - nightmare! It was nice to hear about Eurostar though, if they come through. That's one of the few positive experiences I've heard. Usually it's a case of "Nothing we can do", end of, with no company offering alternative routes that are actually guaranteed. It's not reassuring enough to plan your itinerary with "maybes".
I read the article but could find no website links. However having read the article I am pleased that the air traffic controllers are on strike, having found out why: -
Air traffic controllers with the UNSA union are protesting against a cap on recruitment and a lack of investment in the systems used by workers, including a glitch that grounded flights at two Paris airports in November that was later traced to operating software that had not been updated since 1992. In 2014, computer screens tracking aircraft at Aix-en-Provence suddenly went black
The union has called on France’s aviation authorities to make the necessary investments, ‘that they can no longer put off’. - See more at: http://www.connexionfrance.com/france-air-traffic-controllers-strike-flights-cancelled-paris-orly-charles-gaulle-marseille-nice-17857-view-article.html#sthash.2lvFk0lN.dpuf
On Monday I turned up in Liverpool for my flight to Limoges, to discover that it was cancelled. There had been no warning text message from Ryan air.
Passengers were directed to Swiss ---, an agent for Ryan air, where the lady told me that I would be refunded for my hotel costs, and that the next flight where there was one seat on standby available would be on Friday, and another the following Monday. Neither of which were certain.
I decided at once to take a train to London. The cab driver told me I would miss the London train if we went to Lime Street, but that we could meet it in Runcorn, and I agreed. We arrived in time for me to jump on board to a welcome mug of coffee. From there I booked my seat on Eurostar.
Eurostar was broken down, this was no real surprise to me, since the last time I was on it they left me stuck in a tunnel for eighteen hours. Nonetheless I booked a hotel in Paris since by now I would certainly miss my connection to Limoges.
Eurostar promised to pay 25% of the ticket fee, just over fifty pounds, and the train manager said they would arrange hotels. I had already arranged mine. I have sent a copy of the receipt to them and await a result.
On the other hand Ryan air will in fact simply reimburse my ticket fee, around 100 euros, and will not reimburse the hotel costs I might have incurred had I followed their advice. Neither will they pay for my alternative transportation. In other words their agent in Liverpool airport lied to us all.
The whole trip cost around £550.00
The Connexion have just published this which contains some handy website links for various flight operators.
I hope any information they're giving out is more accurate than last year. My friend was over with her young son and we couldn't find any reliable information whatsoever. She had flown with Ryanair who of course could not accept responsibility because it was due to the French workers, could not offer alternative flights etc etc. My friend is a lawyer who had to ensure she was back in the City by a specific time so ended up paying for another flight to Southampton, I think it was, then hiring a car and driving back up, with her own car being at Stanstead. It was a complete nightmare.
I'm taking my mother in law back to Montpellier for the 15.40 flight I could do without any delays.
my husband flew out of Toulouse this morning no problems although it was showing Delayed arrival - he landed at Gatwick on time.
Easyjet does have an announcement on their flight live updates saying that 65% of their flights fly over France so there may be delays. They do say PLEASE STILL ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT IN TIME FOR YOUR ORIGINAL DEPARTURE TIME as theres a chance even if it shows delays that these may decrease which is exactly what happened this morning to my hubby.
