The skies are rumbling over France.
Notices of strikes pile up, and flight crews, whether cabin crew (PNC) or technical crew (PNT), publicly show their fatigue. After the turbulence involving easyJet France and Volotea, it is now French bee’s turn to take to the streets.
As we revealed to you, the SNPNC-FO of French bee filed a strike notice from August 27 to 31. While management announces that its program is fully guaranteed, the union side congratulates itself on a strong commitment.
“All of the PNC at our Réunion base are on strike. In Orly, 90% of the cabin supervisors and their substitutes are mobilized, along with a large part of the permanent staff.
The fixed-term contracts (CDD) cannot go on strike due to the precarious nature of their contracts.
Management has sent in people from the leadership to fill the gaps and ensure the flights. Our PNC leader is on the flights, all the instructors as well, and there are almost no cabin supervisors available.
To avoid canceling flights, the company chartered aircraft from Wamos, notably on the route to New York. A flight to Los Angeles has just been canceled and another to Miami could soon follow“, recounts a representative of the SNPNC-FO.
Notices of strikes pile up, and flight crews, whether cabin crew (PNC) or technical crew (PNT), publicly show their fatigue. After the turbulence involving easyJet France and Volotea, it is now French bee’s turn to take to the streets.
As we revealed to you, the SNPNC-FO of French bee filed a strike notice from August 27 to 31. While management announces that its program is fully guaranteed, the union side congratulates itself on a strong commitment.
“All of the PNC at our Réunion base are on strike. In Orly, 90% of the cabin supervisors and their substitutes are mobilized, along with a large part of the permanent staff.
The fixed-term contracts (CDD) cannot go on strike due to the precarious nature of their contracts.
Management has sent in people from the leadership to fill the gaps and ensure the flights. Our PNC leader is on the flights, all the instructors as well, and there are almost no cabin supervisors available.
To avoid canceling flights, the company chartered aircraft from Wamos, notably on the route to New York. A flight to Los Angeles has just been canceled and another to Miami could soon follow“, recounts a representative of the SNPNC-FO.
French bee: “Management is in denial”
The management confirmed to us the cancellation of flight BF730, scheduled Friday from Orly to Los Angeles. Passengers, however, were rebooked on a flight operated by the company.
The flight to Miami remains scheduled.
“Since the movement began, several PNC have reported ten schedule changes in a day. It has become almost unreadable.
We are striking to highlight the schedule changes and the growing fatigue, but that ends up worsening the problem instead of solving it.
Management is in denial and continues a practice common to them, namely changing rosters at will“, laments a staff representative.
The two sides seem to be entrenched in their positions.
On one side, management says it remains at the union’s disposal to find a way out of the conflict.
On the other, the employee representative tells us that the latest exchange, last Tuesday, ended with a firm stance, refusing any dialogue while the strike continues.
To read: easyJet France: heading for a second August weekend of strike action!
“There is no opening of dialogue; that is a catchphrase for the media. They prefer to take care of their customers rather than their employees.
The instability of rosters is not new this year, but it has worsened in 2026. By reducing Tahiti services, rotations are becoming shorter and shorter.
The situation is worrying for crew fatigue and their mental health, explains the employee representative.
The flight to Miami remains scheduled.
“Since the movement began, several PNC have reported ten schedule changes in a day. It has become almost unreadable.
We are striking to highlight the schedule changes and the growing fatigue, but that ends up worsening the problem instead of solving it.
Management is in denial and continues a practice common to them, namely changing rosters at will“, laments a staff representative.
The two sides seem to be entrenched in their positions.
On one side, management says it remains at the union’s disposal to find a way out of the conflict.
On the other, the employee representative tells us that the latest exchange, last Tuesday, ended with a firm stance, refusing any dialogue while the strike continues.
To read: easyJet France: heading for a second August weekend of strike action!
“There is no opening of dialogue; that is a catchphrase for the media. They prefer to take care of their customers rather than their employees.
The instability of rosters is not new this year, but it has worsened in 2026. By reducing Tahiti services, rotations are becoming shorter and shorter.
The situation is worrying for crew fatigue and their mental health, explains the employee representative.
French bee: “By focusing only on low cost, they have forgotten the human”
The staff representatives have been warning management for more than a year now.
Meetings and extraordinary Works Council sessions have been held to address the situation of PNC on the Tahiti flight.
“If, on paper, the company is compliant with rest regulations, it is circumventing all other rules around it.
There have been two grave and imminent dangers on this specific route. The inspection and occupational medicine have been included in these exchanges. No one took us seriously, but at this level of fatigue you feel like you are intoxicated. There have been car accidents, we have colleagues in tears because they can no longer even see their children.
We issued a right to alert, with no response. We knocked on the DGAC’s door to ask for help. They told us they had noted a surge in fatigue reports from PNC in general, both cabin crew and pilots“, explains the union representative.
Sometimes, between 48 hours on Miami-bound flights and 24 hours on New York-bound flights, employees have only one day of rest. The prospect of returning to a normal life remains difficult under these conditions.
An expert assessment was also commissioned, but all these steps collided with the war in Iran.
The strike notice filed in April had to be postponed due to the consequences of the conflict on global aviation. In return, management made a financial gesture and granted a 48-hour notice period during which management should not tamper with rosters.
“Except that this rule did not apply when we were in layovers; we were still subjected to changes.
We are a low-cost carrier, I understand that the company must make money, but there is no need to overdo it. They do not want to increase staffing.
At the beginning of August, we issued another alert, then the expert also alerted management about the situation after surveying 300 PNC” confirms this same person.
The person mandated by the Works Council to provide an update on the matter would have found physical and general malaise among the employees, according to the SNPNC-FO representative.
Meetings and extraordinary Works Council sessions have been held to address the situation of PNC on the Tahiti flight.
“If, on paper, the company is compliant with rest regulations, it is circumventing all other rules around it.
There have been two grave and imminent dangers on this specific route. The inspection and occupational medicine have been included in these exchanges. No one took us seriously, but at this level of fatigue you feel like you are intoxicated. There have been car accidents, we have colleagues in tears because they can no longer even see their children.
We issued a right to alert, with no response. We knocked on the DGAC’s door to ask for help. They told us they had noted a surge in fatigue reports from PNC in general, both cabin crew and pilots“, explains the union representative.
Sometimes, between 48 hours on Miami-bound flights and 24 hours on New York-bound flights, employees have only one day of rest. The prospect of returning to a normal life remains difficult under these conditions.
An expert assessment was also commissioned, but all these steps collided with the war in Iran.
The strike notice filed in April had to be postponed due to the consequences of the conflict on global aviation. In return, management made a financial gesture and granted a 48-hour notice period during which management should not tamper with rosters.
“Except that this rule did not apply when we were in layovers; we were still subjected to changes.
We are a low-cost carrier, I understand that the company must make money, but there is no need to overdo it. They do not want to increase staffing.
At the beginning of August, we issued another alert, then the expert also alerted management about the situation after surveying 300 PNC” confirms this same person.
The person mandated by the Works Council to provide an update on the matter would have found physical and general malaise among the employees, according to the SNPNC-FO representative.
French bee: without an answer, “we will renew the strike notice”
On top of that, there is a depreciation of earnings.
Because of shorter rotations, PNC salaries would have fallen. We are far from the glamorous image of being a steward or a hostess.
“By focusing only on low cost, they have forgotten the human. I am paid 40% less than my colleagues at Air Caraïbes.
We love our company, our job, our planes and our passengers, and we knew what we were getting into. There is a contempt for our profession in the group’s offices.
The base is very fired up. Moreover, preferring to give money to Wamos while telling us the company has no money… It is scandalous.
They want to show everyone that we will not win, us employees. But we are the losers in this conflict, because we are losing money,” laments the chief cabin crew.
You can see it, the split is complete.
Each side remains entrenched in its positions, and no one seems capable or willing to take a step toward the other. And while charters cost hundreds of thousands of euros per day of strike, the end of the strike notice approaches.
“If, by August 31, we have not heard back from the company, we will renew the notice and the movement, until discussions begin.
Nevertheless, I still have a bit of hope in our new CEO, Géry Mortreux. He tried to find a way out just before we went on strike, but he did not have all the background,” says a representative of the SNPNC-FO.
The growing unrest is increasingly loud in the cabins of low-cost carriers and within the Dubreuil group…
Because of shorter rotations, PNC salaries would have fallen. We are far from the glamorous image of being a steward or a hostess.
“By focusing only on low cost, they have forgotten the human. I am paid 40% less than my colleagues at Air Caraïbes.
We love our company, our job, our planes and our passengers, and we knew what we were getting into. There is a contempt for our profession in the group’s offices.
The base is very fired up. Moreover, preferring to give money to Wamos while telling us the company has no money… It is scandalous.
They want to show everyone that we will not win, us employees. But we are the losers in this conflict, because we are losing money,” laments the chief cabin crew.
You can see it, the split is complete.
Each side remains entrenched in its positions, and no one seems capable or willing to take a step toward the other. And while charters cost hundreds of thousands of euros per day of strike, the end of the strike notice approaches.
“If, by August 31, we have not heard back from the company, we will renew the notice and the movement, until discussions begin.
Nevertheless, I still have a bit of hope in our new CEO, Géry Mortreux. He tried to find a way out just before we went on strike, but he did not have all the background,” says a representative of the SNPNC-FO.
The growing unrest is increasingly loud in the cabins of low-cost carriers and within the Dubreuil group…
Published by Romain Pommier Journalist – TourMaG.com See all articles by Romain Pommier
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