European Air Traffic Controllers To Strike Tomorrow

Flights to Europe are facing severe disruption starting this evening as transport workers launch the first of what promises to be a wave of strikes throughout the summer.

Air traffic controllers in France are staging a daylong walkout tomorrow in protest of plans by the European Union to introduce a single airspace for the whole continent. ATC staff in Greece and Portugal will stop work over the same issue for four hours and in Italy for one hour.

Passengers flying to any of those countries should check arrangements with their airline or travel agent but those travelling to France can expect the worst disruptions. American Airlines has canceled flights from both New York JFK and Miami to Paris tonight and from JFK tomorrow. Some AA flights to and from Paris will be diverted to Brussels, with passengers being put on buses for a three-hour drive across the Belgian border. Delta Air Lines says it is likely to cancel three of its four daily flights from Paris. Continental Airlines also flies to Paris and is set to make changes as well.

European carriers are affected even more heavily. Air France is operating 90 percent of its long-haul schedule tomorrow but only 10 percent of its short-haul program. British Airways has canceled all but four of its 126 flights to France.

More disruption is to come. There will be a general strike in Spain on Thursday. Although flights are expected to run as normal, there will be little or no public transportation. ATC workers will strike again in France, Greece, Portugal and Italy on June 26. In a separate dispute over pay and conditions, Alitalia staff will stage four-hour stoppages on June 28 and July 12 and 19. For good measure, there also is a threat of impending industrial action in the United Kingdom, where ATC employees have rejected a pay deal.

ATC workers are opposed to the creation of a single European airspace because of safety concerns. They also claim it will lead to privatization, which, in turn, will lead to job losses. European transport commissioner Loyola de Palacio insists that a unified airspace is the only way to reduce ATC delays and will save Europe $4.7 billion per year in saved time.