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Strasbourg Christmas Market: Why This Year’s Festivities Will Be Cut Short

October 28, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Admired by millions of visitors each year, Strasbourg’s Christmas market tree was installed on Monday morning, despite the risk of spillovers tied to social protests.

Hanging from a crane, the imposing 30-meter-tall evergreen slowly rose under the gaze of passers-by, finally standing as it does every year on Place Kléber, the usual epicenter of demonstrations in Strasbourg, where 15,000 protesters had gathered on October 17.

The Christmas Market Will Not Be Extended Through December 27 After All

“We will protect it and we will stay vigilant there”, said Mathieu Cahn, the first deputy to the mayor of Strasbourg. “The grand tree in Strasbourg is above all a symbol of joy and happiness. I don’t really see why it would be a target”, he added.

The installation of the tree, initially planned for Friday, had been postponed to Monday for “technical reasons” and “the mobilization of staff and resources”, according to the city hall.

This postponement coincided with the staging of a new demonstration, which drew 6,600 people on Saturday according to authorities. Held on the edge of the city center, it proceeded largely in calm fashion. On October 17, shop windows were broken and stores looted near Place Kléber.

The trauma of these acts of violence remains vivid. “I hope they won’t set the tree on fire”, said Anne, a retiree who came to admire the installation. She added “to fear the worst”, due to the new calls to protest on October 31.

Because of the demonstrations, and the substantial police presence they require, the City of Strasbourg also announced on Monday that it would drop its plan to extend the Christmas Market until December 27.

“We would have liked to go a bit further, but with the ongoing social movements it was not possible”, explained Mathieu Cahn, citing the “recovery time” necessary for the forces. The market will proceed, as every year, from November 27 to December 24.

As in previous years since the 2018 attack that claimed five lives, Strasbourg’s Christmas Market, which welcomed 3.05 million visitors last year, requires a significant police presence. In 2025, about a thousand officers were patrolling the streets of Strasbourg daily.

Business Travel: How Travel Managers Revisit Their Criteria to Cut Costs

October 2, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Pour les travel managers, l'enjeu consiste désormais à dépasser la comparaison du seul prix du billet - Depositphotos.com, annas.stills.gmail.com

Business travel remains a major lever for companies.

According to the Global Business Travel Survey 2026 by SAP Concur, 97% of CFOs consider business travel important in achieving their organization’s objectives.

At the same time, 82% plan to increase their travel budget in 2026.

This momentum, however, takes place in a context of price pressure. Rising jet fuel costs, geopolitical tensions and higher aviation taxes complicate corporate budgeting decisions.

According to SAP Concur, 45% of CFOs and 40% of travel managers name inflation as one of the main threats to their travel program.

Total cost becomes a decision criterion

For travel managers, the challenge now is to go beyond simply comparing the ticket price.

The total cost of the trip includes ancillary charges, transfers, door-to-door duration, change conditions, and the actual time available for the employee.

This approach can notably shift the trade-off between train and plane. TGV INOUI fares rose by about 1% on average in 2026, according to data cited by SAP Concur.

On routes such as Paris–Lyon or Paris–Bordeaux, the choice of transport mode can thus be evaluated based on the full costs and the time involved.

This shift directly concerns corporate travel agencies and booking solution providers, who must be able to present comparable options to companies.

Travel policies are becoming increasingly structured

Travel policies are also evolving. 91% of travel managers report that their company’s approach has changed in the last twelve months, aiming to balance cost control, compliance, traveler experience, and sustainability objectives.

For business travel professionals, this evolution means offering an option that goes beyond price alone. The ability to present multiple transport options and integrate the constraints specific to each company becomes a central element of the booking journey.

Beyond expense control, companies also seek to better measure the value of their trips. 89% of CFOs believe travel managers should demonstrate more clearly how travel contributes to company objectives, while 44% report a lack of data to measure this contribution.

“The challenge for travel managers is no longer just to master the price of the ticket. They must demonstrate the value created by every trip while ensuring compliance with the travel policy and a satisfactory experience for employees,” notes Sylvain Muller, mobility expert at SAP Concur.

SAP Concur expands the multimodal comparison

To support this evolution, SAP Concur enriches Concur Travel with a multimodal display that enables comparing rail and air solutions based on the parameters defined by each company.

The platform notably offers rail content in five European markets: France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, including SNCF, Eurostar, and TGV Lyria.

Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com writer
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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Volotea to Cut Capacity in France Amid Strike

September 5, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Volotea : "des réductions de voilure dans les bases françaises" - Crédit photo : RP

TAP Air Portugal

Low-cost air travel in France is in the midst of a storm.

Since mid-August, strikes have been piling up and the latest concerns Volotea, a company that is having a difficult year in 2026.

Au printemps dernier, comme nous vous le révélions, elle a dû affronter la polémique des surcharges carburant et des annulations de vols, en raison de la flambée du kérosène.

From now on, it faces a rare pilots’ strike that extends over the weekend of September 4-6, 2026. Le préavis a été signé par le SNPL, l’UNAC et le SPL.

La direction nous annonce l’annulation de six vols vers Perpignan, Bordeaux et Figari, au départ de sa base de Lille, pour la journée du vendredi 4 septembre.

“The staff face pressures and subtle threats from management.

En dépit de cela, des copilotes ont décidé de se déclarer en grève, cela nous donne du baume au cœur. Malgré cela, nous sommes sur une fourchette de grévistes comprise entre 20 et 45 %.

There is a possibility of circumventing, since the company is reassembling crews to operate flights during this strike, with staff coming from Barcelona.

It prefers to absorb the impact of this strike rather than improve our working conditions, explique Patrick Marciniak, délégué du SNPL.

Volotea: “cutbacks in the French bases”

And this practice, bordering on legality according to the Volotea pilot, is not the only thing shocking the occupants of the low-cost cockpits.

Au lieu de s’asseoir autour de la table des négociations, le management a convoqué un CSE extraordinaire pour annoncer de bien mauvaises nouvelles.

“The management acknowledged our strike notice by telling us they would get back to us in the course of the following week.

And they did come back to announce an extraordinary CSE to discuss a cutback on some bases, without mentioning the strike at any point.

Nous avons été très surpris.

Nous les avons sollicités, en expliquant que le préavis de grève courait toujours. Ils nous ont fait comprendre que l’entreprise préférait entrer en conflit, afin de démontrer que les conflits ne durent jamais“, nous rapporte le commandant de bord.

Une direction qui semble donc montrer les muscles.

Et cette menace de réduction de l’activité n’a pas été lancée en l’air. Nous avons appris que de nombreux vols vont être supprimés dans le programme hiver de Volotea.

Brest va perdre quatre lignes, vers Lanzarote, Barcelone, Rome et Tenerife. Bordeaux en perdra huit, vers Lanzarote, Bari, Charleroi, Rome, Fuerteventura, Naples, Prague et Tenerife. Pour Lyon, six lignes seront concernées, vers Malaga, Ajaccio, Athènes, Bari, Grande Canarie et Porto.

Lille, Marseille, Rodez, Strasbourg et Toulouse seront aussi impactées.

Volotea justifies the activity slowdown at its bases by kerosene

“This CSE extraordinary indeed took place and it did not even respect the legal framework for such meetings.

The consultation and the opinion were requested at the same meeting, rather than respecting the one-month notice.

It was explained to us that the activity reduction at the bases was linked to the rise in kerosene prices. But this announcement was made at the moment we filed the notice“, nous explique-t-il, perplexe.
Et cette réduction, selon ses propres mots, serait plus ou moins conséquente selon les bases.

L’entreprise est entrée dans des discussions avec les équipages concernés par cette réduction de voilure. Pour l’heure, le délégué SNPL n’a pas voulu nous en dire plus.

Un exemple qui illustre bien le mode de fonctionnement observé dans les sièges des low cost confrontées à des mouvements sociaux.

Pour quelles raisons les pilotes ont-ils décidé d’entrer en grève ?

“Il existe deux raisons principales.

La grille de rémunération n’a pas été réévaluée depuis 2012. Lors de chaque NAO, le sujet a été abordé, avec toujours la même réponse négative, en avançant que notre progression se fait par l’ancienneté dans l’entreprise.

Avec un niveau d’inflation de 25 % depuis 2012, nous nous retrouvons avec une grille salariale qui était 25 % plus attractive au moment de la création de l’entreprise.

Après, nous savions très bien que nous ne pouvions pas demander ce montant, eu égard à la situation du secteur, confronté à la hausse des cours du kérosène“, détaille le syndicaliste.

Volotea : le SNPL demande une hausse juste pour atteindre le niveau du SMIC

In low-cost airlines, unlike a legacy, fuel is often the primary expense. Payroll comes in second, third, or even fourth.

Donc, avec un kérosène encore en hausse de plus de 77 % par rapport à l’année passée, il devient compliqué pour les transporteurs de garantir leur promesse de prix bas.

“On demande une augmentation des salaires de 20 % pour les second officers afin de les amener simplement au niveau du SMIC,le niveau de décence minimal pour pouvoir embaucher quelqu’un aujourd’hui en France.

Un niveau qui n’est pas atteint par les copilotes qui ne volent pas suffisamment, ce qui arrive.

Pour les autres, nous avons demandé une augmentation de 10 %.Une étude a été commandée par le CSE l’année dernière. Elle a révélé que nous étions 40 % en dessous de la moyenne des acteurs hors Air France sur le marché français, et jusqu’à 50 % pour les commandants de bord.

Nous ne voulons pas un rattrapage par rapport à Air France, ce serait insoutenable pour la compagnie. Ni même un rattrapage de l’inflation, ce ne serait pas audible pour nos passagers“, se montre mesuré Patrick Marciniak.

En 2022, déjà, un précédent mouvement avait eu lieu pour obtenir une hausse des salaires.

Quatre ans plus tard, la rémunération n’est pas la seule revendication des PNT. Un peu à l’image de leurs confrères d’easyJet France, qui appellent à débrayer dans dix jours, le SNPL Volotea exige de meilleures conditions de travail.

Volotea : les pilotes dénoncent des conditions de travail à la limite du supportable

“Volotea uses to the maximum what is allowed by the European framework.

This means we have schedules that can include several days with four flights per day for crews. And the days are becoming increasingly hard in succession. You start your first day at 5 a.m. to end the week with two night flights.

Or you take your last flight at 9 p.m., to arrive at the hotel a few hours later and resume the next day with a 7 a.m. flight, without having slept. We want the company to rethink its methodology for building schedules“, nous partage-t-il.

Face à l’absence de réponse et de discussions pour résoudre ces points de friction, le SNPL, l’UNAC et le SPL étudient les suites à donner à ce conflit.

La décision de renouveler la grève devra donc être collégiale. Une chose est sûre, le préavis peut permettre d’étendre le mouvement social au-delà du 6 septembre.

Chaque jour non travaillé a un impact important sur les salaires des grévistes, pendant que des primes sont offertes à ceux qui voleront durant le débrayage. Reste donc à savoir si les pilotes acteront la poursuite du conflit.

Une chose est sûre, les mêmes demandes émergent chez les salariés de plusieurs compagnies low cost, face à des comportements dignes des “livres d’histoire des grèves qui ont eu lieu dans l’industrie“.“, se montre mesuré.

65% Cut in Air Passenger Tax: Here Are the 26 Affected Lines

July 6, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Baisse de 65 % de la taxe sur les billets d'avion : voici les lignes 26 lignes concernées ! - depositphotos.com Auteur ilixe48

IFTM

The government is implementing, from June 1, 2026, a reduction in the passenger air transport tax (TSBA) for certain air routes deemed essential to territorial development.

Announced by Philippe Tabarot, Minister of Transport, this measure targets routes operated under a public service obligation (PSO) and under a public service delegation (DSP).

The scheme reduces by 65 % the amount of tax applied to each ticket, dropping it from 7.40 euros to 2.63 euros.

Planned by the initial 2025 finance law, this reduction was conditioned on the prior agreement of the European Commission. French authorities had begun talks with Brussels since the law’s enactment. Following these exchanges, the Commission confirmed the measure’s compatibility with EU law, thus paving the way for its entry into force.

The government is working to extend the scheme to overseas territories.

The measure covers, notably, several metropolitan routes serving towns such as Aurillac, Brive, Le Puy-en-Velay or Rodez. It also includes connections between Corsica and the mainland, notably to Paris-Orly, Marseille and Nice, as well as the links connecting Strasbourg to various European metropolises and the Brest–Ouessant line. In total, 26 air routes are affected.

The decree implementing this reduction was published on May 31, 2026.

“By making these routes more financially accessible, this measure reflects the Government’s will to support the connectivity of the least-served territories and to ease the cost of air travel to and from these destinations,” stated Philippe Tabarot.

The minister also indicated that the government would continue its work to extend a similar scheme to overseas territories.

The European Commission, however, regarded the mechanism provided for in the finance law for Overseas routes as not legally retainable in its current form. “We therefore actively pursue the work started to find a solid and appropriate legal solution for our Overseas Territories,” he added.

Here are the 26 routes affected by the air ticket tax reduction:

– Aurillac – Paris ;

– Brive – Paris ;

– Le Puy – Paris ;

– Castres – Paris ;

– Rodez – Paris ;

– Limoges – Paris ;

– Tarbes – Paris ;

– Brest – Ouessant ;

– Limoges – Lyon ;

– La Rochelle – Lyon ;

– Poitiers – Lyon ;

– Strasbourg – Madrid ;

– Strasbourg – Munich ;

– Strasbourg – Copenhagen ;

– Ajaccio – Paris (Orly) ;

– Bastia – Paris (Orly) ;

– Calvi – Paris (Orly) ;

– Figari – Paris (Orly) ;

– Bastia – Marseille ;

– Bastia – Nice ;

– Calvi – Marseille ;

– Calvi – Nice ;

– Ajaccio – Marseille ;

– Ajaccio – Nice ;

– Figari – Marseille ;

– Figari – Nice.

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