Air France strike grounds half of long-haul flights

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - Half of Air France's long-haul flights out of Paris were cancelled on Thursday due to a strike by pilots, cabin crew and ground staff who demand wage rises.

The airline announced that it expected to maintain 75 percent of its scheduled medium-haul flights to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport, and 85 percent of its short-haul flights while only 50 percent of its long-haul flights from Paris are expected to be maintained.

It advised travellers to postpone their trips until Feb. 27 at no extra cost.

The 24-hour industrial action aims at putting pressure on management to increase staff salaries by a 6 percent across the board. The Air France management has put on the table a draft agreement providing a general increase of 1 percent, paid in two stages.