EasyJet cancels flights in France over New Year

The airline announced on Tuesday it was cancelling 70 flights from and to various airports in France after two unions called on cabin crew to strike.

In all, 24 flights due to depart from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris have been scrapped, 14 from Orly airport to the south of the capital, 20 from Lyon, six from Nice, four from Toulouse and two from Lille.

The strike will begin midnight on Wednesday and end at midnight on New Year's Day.

The travel disruption is more bad news for easyJet passengers who faced similar problems on Boxing Day (December 26th) when 38 flights were cancelled because of industrial action.

The workers are upset over frequent last-minute changes to their schedules and have demanded a larger share of the company's profits.

EasyJet employs some 600 flight attendants among its roughly 1,000 workers in France.

The unions complain that easyJet is making too many last minute changes to the schedules of cabin crew staff, and oppose making bonus payments dependent upon customer satisfaction when much of the passenger experience is determined by check-in and luggage handling that is outsourced to other companies.

EasyJet's boss in France Francois Bacchetta has said he understands the "frustration" of the cabin staff and added that the company was working on this "very complex" issue.

The airline has been able to minimise disruption by bringing in cabin crew from the UK.

Eric Cunnac of the Unac union said the airline's use on Friday of British cabin crews on French flights "was a way of breaking the strike".

SNPNC-FO representative Laurent Nicolas complained that easyJet had specially flown in replacement cabin crews and had offered them up to €140 ($170) to work the French flights.

An easyJet spokesman confirmed it had flown in British cabin crew staff who had volunteered to work.

Here's a list of the affected flights:

Orly 14 vols					CDG 24 vols
31/12/2014	4061	ORY	NCE		31/12/2014	3903	CDG	MAD
31/12/2014	4062	NCE	ORY		31/12/2014	3904	MAD	CDG
31/12/2014	4297	ORY	LIN		31/12/2014	3905	CDG	MAD
31/12/2014	4298	LIN	ORY		31/12/2014	3906	MAD	CDG
31/12/2014	4291	ORY	VCE		31/12/2014	3955	CDG	AGP
31/12/2014	4292	VCE	ORY		31/12/2014	3956	AGP	CDG
31/12/2014	4025	ORY	TLS		31/12/2014	2778	CDG	MXP
31/12/2014	4026	TLS	ORY		31/12/2014	2779	MXP	CDG
31/12/2014	4241	ORY	FCO		31/12/2014	3985	CDG	NCE
31/12/2014	4244	FCO	ORY		31/12/2014	3986	NCE	CDG
31/12/2014	4065	ORY	NCE		31/12/2014	3839	CDG	BLQ
31/12/2014	4066	NCE	ORY		31/12/2014	3840	BLQ	CDG
31/12/2014	4027	ORY	TLS		31/12/2014	3705	CDG	BIQ
31/12/2014	4028	TLS	ORY		31/12/2014	3706	BIQ	CDG
Toulouse 4 vols					31/12/2014	3993	CDG	NCE
31/12/2014	3962	TLS	CDG		31/12/2014	3994	NCE	CDG
31/12/2014	3963	CDG	TLS		31/12/2014	3853	CDG	BUD
31/12/2014	1701	TLS	LIL		31/12/2014	3854	BUD	CDG
31/12/2014	1702	LIL	TLS		31/12/2014	3919	CDG	BCN
Nice 6 vols					31/12/2014	3920	BCN	CDG
31/12/2014	1673	NCE	NTE		31/12/2014	3797	CDG	VCE
31/12/2014	1674	NTE	NCE		31/12/2014	3798	VCE	CDG
31/12/2014	4060	NCE	ORY		31/12/2014	3805	CDG	PRG
31/12/2014	4063	ORY	NCE		31/12/2014	3806	PRG	CDG
31/12/2014	1681	NCE	LIL
31/12/2014	1682	LIL	NCE
Lyon 20 vols
31/12/2014	4301	LYS	BOD		31/12/2014	4357	LS	BES
31/12/2014	4302	BOD	LYS		31/12/2014	4358	BES	LYS
31/12/2014	4415	LYS	BCN		31/12/2014	4353	LYS	NTE
31/12/2014	4416	BCN	LYS		31/12/2014	3654	NTE	TLS
31/12/2014	4417	LYS	BCN		31/12/2014	4340	TLS	LYS
31/12/2014	1698	BCN	NCE		31/12/2014	4367	LYS	BRU
31/12/2014	1697	NCE	BCN		31/12/2014	4368	BRU	LYS
31/12/2014	4418	BCN	LYS		31/12/2014	4339	LYS	TLS
31/12/2014	4445	LYS	OPO		31/12/2014	3653	TLS	NTE
31/12/2014	4446	OPO	LYS		31/12/2014	4354	NTE	LYS