Low-cost company Volotea, which is on strike over the Easter weekend, has sparked the ire of travelers. Several of its flights have been canceled or “rerouted”, leaving passengers in an uproar. This strike will be renewed on the weekend of 23 and 24 April.
A holiday with friends that turns into a nightmare. Chantal and her friends came from Brittany to discover the Côte d’Azur, but their return flight did not go as planned.
The plane was scheduled for 8:30 AM, they don’t leave until 9:30 PM. This group of Bretons would embark on Monday 18 April, together with other passengers, from Nice to Brest.
On the night before the flight, Volotea airline announces to them that a strike movement is underway and that their travel route will be disrupted.
We thought the company would find us another flight, so we went to the airport anyway.
35 people of this flight were waiting for additional information but there was no one at the reception to show them the way. The company also remained unreachable.
We were dangling with the option of boarding other flights such as a Nice-Caen or a Nice-Nantes, we were prepared for anything but each time it failed.
Trains and carpools were taken by storm, those who had the resources fell back on other airlines such as Air France. “The flights went above 500 euros, I couldn’t afford it”Chantal breathes. Passengers had to eat at their own expense, as the coupons distributed by the airport did not work.
Chantal and her friends were finally able to board a Transavia flight to Nantes. A bus to Brest had been chartered, but due to a lack of clear information, only six people were able to take advantage of it.
Highlight of this hellish day, Chantal has not found her suitcase, also lost in all these last minute changes.
She concludes:
It was inhumane! We must be compensated for damage.
It was the first time she took this company, but Chantal admits that she will not repeat this experience.
Volotea pilots have called for a strike for the weekends of April 15 to 18 and April 23 to 24, 2022† They are protesting the wage cuts and productivity efforts demanded by management.
The National Union of Aviation Pilots (SNPL) denounces the productivity efforts requested by the Spanish company’s management. According to the union, the management “Impose a reduction in pay on its pilots (…) and continue to ask its employees to make great efforts to withstand the effects of the crisis, while refusing any social dialogue worthy of the name.”
An unpleasant adventure for many passengers in France, from Toulouse to Lille, via Caen. As can be seen from france info Charlotte who would fly from Nice to Lille: “Around 11:45-12:00, they started saying there was a… delay but without giving any informationsays this passenger, until I understood that our plane was leaving for Luxembourg, that he had to… To go [avant] in Luxembourg and come back.”
Some flights have also been “hijacked”:
There are many setbacks. The passengers of flight V72578, which would connect Nice Côte d’Azur airport with Luxembourg airport on Friday 15 April, would take 1.30 hours, the flight will take almost 24 hours to arrive at its destination.
