Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on the planned Air France pilots' strike

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Air France pilots intend to strike next week (Getty)

Q I see that Air France pilots are planning a strike from 11-14 June. Will KLM still operate flights as normal?

Andrew Wilson

A It's a good question, because Air France is the owner of the Dutch airline, KLM. But I can't foresee any problems for travellers flying in and out of Amsterdam Schiphol, KLM's hub, except for some very crowded conditions - as Air France passengers switch to the Dutch carrier during the French pilots' strike.

The Air France and KLM parts of the group are joined commercially - you might find a Manchester-Mumbai flight routed out via Paris and back via Amsterdam. But operationally they are kept separate. In fact one reason the French pilots are upset enough to stage another strike is what they see as favouritism towards their colleagues in Amsterdam. They believe the Air France group has focused investment and growth on KLM rather than the "home team" in Paris.

The last big Air France pilots' strike, in September 2014, was also about another part of the group - specifically concerns over employment conditions at the Transavia low-cost subsidiary.

Air France has offered travellers booked on flights between 11 and 14 June the chance to switch to earlier or later services, but the extra demands of the Euro 2016 football tournament mean that spare seats are difficult to find.

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader's question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder