Business and leisure travellers passing through Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly on 29 November faced an abrupt wave of disruption as airlines including Air France, KLM, Delta and Swiss scrapped 40 flights and logged more than 500 delays across Europe. Travel and Tour World reports that Paris and Amsterdam were the worst-hit hubs, with knock-on effects at Liverpool, Riga and other airports.
Ground-handling staff blamed a combination of fog-related slot restrictions and crew rostering shortages for the bottleneck. At CDG, average departure delays topped 75 minutes between 08:00 and 11:00. Air France told corporate clients that priority re-booking would be granted to blue-status Flying Blue members, but warned that “same-day arrival cannot be guaranteed.”
![Paris-Centric Flight Chaos: 40 Cancellations and 500 Delays Disrupt European Itineraries]()
The timing is awkward for French businesses gearing up for year-end closings and the first week of COP-30 in Marseille. Several multinationals rerouted executives via Brussels or Frankfurt, adding hotel nights and over-the-road transfers to travel budgets.
Under EU261 rules, passengers delayed more than three hours are entitled to compensation of up to €600, provided the disruption was not caused by extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather. Travel managers should document actual arrival times and file claims promptly; some carriers are issuing digital vouchers to ease paperwork.
ADP, the operator of Paris airports, said it would review staffing plans ahead of the busy Christmas peak. However, unions representing ground staff have already filed a notice for a potential strike on 19 December, suggesting further turbulence is possible.
Ground-handling staff blamed a combination of fog-related slot restrictions and crew rostering shortages for the bottleneck. At CDG, average departure delays topped 75 minutes between 08:00 and 11:00. Air France told corporate clients that priority re-booking would be granted to blue-status Flying Blue members, but warned that “same-day arrival cannot be guaranteed.”
The timing is awkward for French businesses gearing up for year-end closings and the first week of COP-30 in Marseille. Several multinationals rerouted executives via Brussels or Frankfurt, adding hotel nights and over-the-road transfers to travel budgets.
Under EU261 rules, passengers delayed more than three hours are entitled to compensation of up to €600, provided the disruption was not caused by extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather. Travel managers should document actual arrival times and file claims promptly; some carriers are issuing digital vouchers to ease paperwork.
ADP, the operator of Paris airports, said it would review staffing plans ahead of the busy Christmas peak. However, unions representing ground staff have already filed a notice for a potential strike on 19 December, suggesting further turbulence is possible.
