If you might be travelling in France throughout a strike interval, you may end up caught up in journey chaos, whether or not that be a delayed or cancelled practice, aircraft or Metro.
As France reckons with extra political chaos, the early autumn interval of September and October might contain important journey delays attributable to industrial motion. Keep a watch on The Local’s strike part for updates.
Here are your rights in these circumstances.
Trains
High-speed TGV and Ouigo – Before going to the practice station throughout a strike, first test the standing of your practice utilizing the SNCF web site or app.
Even in case your practice just isn’t affected by strike motion, however it’s scheduled throughout a strike interval, SNCF usually encourages individuals to postpone their journey plans with the choice of a free alternate or cancellation.
If your practice has been cancelled, then SNCF ought to tell you 48 hours prematurely and supply a free refund or alternate.
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While it could be tempting to only board the following practice throughout a strike, you will need to first alternate your earlier ticket. You can’t board a high-speed practice with out a corresponding ticket.
If your practice is delayed attributable to a strike by railway employees, you doubtless qualify for a full or partial refund (until there’s sabotage or cable theft concerned, as these depend as “extraordinary circumstances“).
On high-speed home TGV InOui trains and regional Intercités companies, you aren’t entitled to a refund for a delay of lower than half-hour.
However, you will get 25 p.c of your ticket again for half-hour and two hours of delays; 50 p.c of your ticket again for a delay of two to 3 hours; and 75 p.c again for a delay of greater than three hours.
For funds OuiGo companies, you don’t qualify for compensation if the delay is beneath an hour. You can get 25 p.c again for a delay of an hour to 2 hours, and you will get half of your ticket again for a delay of greater than two hours. You can discover directions on the SNCF web site.
In some circumstances, it’s possible you’ll be supplied compensation for a cancelled practice. During the strike motion in May 2025, SNCF supplied a particular 30-day half-off low cost voucher for a future practice journey.
Eurostar – The Eurostar web site doesn’t make any particular point out of strikes.
Their normal coverage for cancellations or delays (practice should be introduced as delayed by greater than 60 minutes earlier than departure, and you will need to select to not journey on it) states you could select a free alternate, an e-voucher, or a refund. You have three months (from the date you’re attributable to journey) to resolve.
READ MORE: Travel to France: Your rights on a delayed or cancelled Eurostar
TER (regional) trains – If you gave your cellphone quantity when buying tickets, you need to obtain a textual content within the occasion of a delay or cancellation.
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The regional TER trains are managed by every French area, and data concerning practice site visitors is out there on-line the day earlier than departure at 5pm.
In the occasion of a practice cancellation, SNCF requires that tickets be refundable till midnight the day earlier than departure.
While this doesn’t depart a lot time to cancel tickets, most TER companies do can help you take any TER practice for a similar journey on the identical date of departure, with out the necessity to alternate tickets.
If your TER is delayed, you will need to submit a grievance to their particular person customer support. Go to the TER area’s web site, then click on “Services et contacts”, adopted by “Bulletin de retard” and fill out the related info.
Metro and metropolis transport
Most of the time, metropolis public transport companies, just like the RATP within the capital, don’t supply compensation or refunds for short-term strikes (eg sooner or later or a few days).
However, if the strike finally ends up lasting a number of days, then they could run a particular reimbursement marketing campaign for individuals who bought long-term transport passes, such because the Navigo month-to-month or yearly cross in Paris.
Short-term passes resembling weekly vacationer passes or single-use tickets are usually not included in reimbursement campaigns.
These particular campaigns are introduced after strike motion, and directions are listed on the transport service’s web site.
READ MORE: 9 of one of the best actions to do in Paris on strike days
Air journey
Strikes affecting flight schedules, specifically by air site visitors controllers, should be declared at the least 48 hours prematurely. France’s civil aviation authority (the DGAC) will then difficulty a brand new schedule, with warnings about delays and the share of flights to be cancelled.
At this level, airways usually warn clients that they need to postpone their journey plans, and lots of will supply free exchanges on tickets. Check along with your airline for his or her coverage.
If you discover out that your flight has been cancelled, EU coverage dictates that “you’ve got the proper to decide on between reimbursement, re-routing or return. You are additionally entitled to help on the airport.”
The actual query is whether or not you might be eligible for additional compensation throughout a strike.
Normally, you ought to be entitled to compensation in case your flight is cancelled lower than 14 days earlier than departure, or in case your flight arrives on the vacation spot over three hours after the scheduled arrival time.
However, strikes are sometimes thought of “extraordinary circumstances” (listing right here), and thus usually are not eligible for compensation (though, as said above, airways should nonetheless supply a refund or alternate of the ticket).
READ MORE: Your rights on delayed or cancelled flights in France
If your flight was delayed or cancelled attributable to ‘inner strike motion’, that means a strike carried out by air service employees (eg Air France, Ryanair, and so forth), then you need to nonetheless qualify for compensation.
All different strikes thought of to be “exterior to an air service that impacts the operation of the airline” fall beneath the “extraordinary circumstances” class.
This implies that disruption from strike motion by non-airline employees, resembling airport safety personnel, air site visitors controllers and baggage handlers, would doubtless be seen as extraordinary circumstances and thus wouldn’t be eligible for additional compensation.
Even in these circumstances, the airline should nonetheless show that there’s a hyperlink between the ‘extraordinary circumstance’ and the delay or cancellation, in addition to proving that they took all cheap measures to keep away from a delay or cancellation.
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For instance, if there’s a baggage handler’s strike that doesn’t trigger a lot disruption and can’t moderately be linked to your flight cancellation, then the airline wouldn’t have the ability to declare it as an “extraordinary circumstance”.
These guidelines additionally apply particularly to the express strike discover interval. If you expertise knock-on delays or cancellations following a strike, you may have the ability to declare compensation.
The web site Flightright advises: “If your flight doesn’t fall throughout the quick strike interval, however is cancelled because of the affect of the strike, it’s value checking your entitlement to compensation.
“For instance, if all flights are taking off and touchdown on schedule once more after the strike, however you might be denied boarding, then there’s a good probability that the airline may have given your seat to a passenger who was immediately affected by the strike.
“This implies that the airline could be denying you the proper to board in opposition to your will, which might entitle you to compensation.”
If the airline doesn’t present a passable rationalization, you possibly can contact your nationwide authority for additional help.
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Car leases
If you might be delayed in selecting up your rental automobile, it’s going to depend upon the corporate’s coverage. Usually, rental companies at airports request that you just embrace your flight reference when making a reservation, and they’re extra accustomed to accommodating delays.
Hotels and different lodging
Likewise, if in case you have booked a resort and can’t get there attributable to strike actions, you’ll not usually be entitled to compensation or your a reimbursement.
Some corporations do supply both a refund or a voucher for a future keep, however this falls beneath the heading of a ‘goodwill gesture’, and isn’t one thing that you’re legally entitled to.
