The summer of air travel disruption strikes again. Cabin crew at Transavia, the budget carrier subsidiary of Air France-KLM, initiated a strike action on Wednesday. As a result, the airline has had to cancel 30% of its scheduled French flights on Friday and Saturday and 25% of departures on Sunday.The cancellations of over 1/4 of Transavia weekend flights add to the continued woes of travelers across Europe during the peak summer season, which has thus far been marred by airport chaos and airline employee strike actions. Among the airlines adding to the woes of holidaymakers across the continent, we can now count the Franco-Dutch LCC and its ongoing labor dispute.The strike action was called by the flight attendant union Syndicat National du Personnel Navigant Commercial (SNPNC) began on July 13. Initially, the ongoing disagreement between the Transavia cabin crew and management over wages led to the airline canceling 15% of flights over Wednesday and Thursday.Anyone affected by the strike has been advised to contact Transavia directly, although that proposition seems to be less than straightforward. The airline's official Twitter account has been dormant since late May this year, so the frustrated passengers trying to get a hold of the airline that way might find their efforts futile.

Base pay for new recruits below minimum wage

The SNPNC union first issued the strike warning on July 7. It ran through mid-September without any specific date established. Of course, if you are going to strike, you want to hit the target of the action where it hurts, so it is no surprise it is happening mid-July, the peak French summer leisure travel time.

The union refused to sign a labor agreement last week along with other groups, as the base pay for new cabin crew hires determined in the deal is below minimum wage. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the airline told Bloomberg that it did include special payouts and improved staff scheduling. They further stated that when variable portions were added to the base pay, compensation would be above minimum wage.

Transavia Boeing 737 on runway
Transavia France operates a fleet of 61 Boeing 737-800s, with at least one now inactive after yesterday's incident in Nantes. Photo: Bene Riobó via Wikimedia Commons

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A smorgasbord of disruptions

The Transavia strike further compounds the woes of European holidaymakers. And it is not about to end anytime soon. Staff shortages will see a further 15,000 European flights canceled in August. The potential for more strikes should not be disregarded, even though British Airways has managed to avert a major crisis by bumping the pay offer for its check-in staff at London Heathrow. KLM might have done the same with a recently agreed upon pay agreement with Dutch unions.

Simple Flying has sought Transavia for comment but was yet to receive a response at the time of publication. This article may be updated with any further information.

Have you been affected by the Transavia strike? What has been your experience? Leave a comment below and share your story.

Source: Bloomberg