Between two strikes for pensions in France, there's another strike looming in mid-spring. This time it's the low-cost carrier Vuelinga subsidiary of IAG Group (British Airways/Iberia).
The union for flight crews based in France has called for strikes over at least the next three weekends of school holidays and bank holidays in France. The key issues are wage demands and working conditions. The next strike will take place on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April. Vueling consequently announced the cancellation of 66 flights over these two days.
The company communicates little about its results, leaving this to its parent company IAG. However, there are several signs that the low-cost carrier is in trouble. Starting with the reason for this Friday's strike. According to the newspapers, the cabin crew union is talking about a " lack of recognition in the remuneration (of) flight attendants", a "major changes to schedules on several occasions during the month".a "disconnection on rest days not respected". and "Many payroll errors".
Another troubling element: the large number of promotions on tickets (at €19.90 or €29.99) since the start of the year. While this may be good news for passengers, the proliferation of promotional offers may also mean an urgent need for cash...
Network adjustment for summer 2023
Finally, there's also network adjustmentparticularly in France. Without fanfare, the company has cancelled half a dozen routes from Orlyone of its main European bases.
On departure from Orly, the company has suspendedwith the introduction of summer opening times, its services to Leipzig and Nuremberg in Germany. More surprisingly, it also stopped its flights to Seville and Venice. Both cities have long been important stopovers for the airline. It has also Withdrawn Gothenburg of its programme.
Unfortunately, Vueling does not communicate much with the general public. This is a handicap for business travellers looking for transparency and reliability. All the more so as the IAG subsidiary has to deal with the rise of Transavia at Orly. The Air France subsidiary is offering 111 destinations this summer. New flights from Orly include Venice, Paphos, Almeria, Antalya, Izmir and Oslo.
