Hundreds of flights have been cancelled today alone as a week of industrial action hits the travel and transport sectors.
Major UK airlines have had to ground services today as French air traffic controllers stage a major walkout to coincide with Labour Day.
Like many other workers in France, the aviation employees are fighting against changes to the national pension age that will see it lifted from 62 to 64.
The air traffic controllers have warned disruption will run from Sunday evening to early on Tuesday.
Paris’ Orly, Charles de Gaulle and Beauvais airports, as well as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes and Nice, will be impacted the most by the strikes.
However, more flights not taking off or landing in France have been grounded as the industrial action has slashed the capacity of the air above the country.
Airlines were told to cancel flights over the weekend in anticipation of the strikes.
Ryanair alone has cancelled 220 departures, meaning 40,000 passengers have had their travel plans disrupted or ruined, the airline has said.
Services from London Stansted, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh serving destinations in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France have been affected.
EasyJet has cancelled flights from London Gatwick, Luton, Bristol and Manchester to destinations in France, the Independent reported.
British Airways cancelled around 40 flights to and from London, with passengers offered a full refund, rebooking or similar flight with an alternate airline.
The air traffic controllers are far from the only workers who are walking out this week, as the high rate of inflation squeezes the incomes of employees across a number of sectors.
On May 4 security staff at Heathrow Airport who are represented by the Unite union will hit the picket line.
Around 1,400 officers are expected to strike on three separate actions between May 4 and 6, May 9 and 10, and May 25 and 27, with Terminal 5 impacted the most.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said last month: "Workers can’t be expected to accept real term pay cuts as shareholders and bosses get richer and richer.
"So, if the strike is to be averted there needs to be more real money put on the table to make a decent pay rise."
Heathrow has previously said that previous strikes by the security workers "failed" and that the airport continued to run smoothly throughout.
"We will not let Unite disrupt the flow of visitors to the UK during such an important period for the country," a spokesperson for the airport said.
Also this week the five week long Passport Office workers strike will rumble on.
Public and Commercial Services union workers at a number of passport officers across the country have been involved in industrial action since April 3.
The strikes - which included more than 1,000 staff working in Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport, Peterborough and Southport - will finish on May 5 this week.
In a fortnight's time strikes led by rail workers at 14 train operators will continue, having first started almost a year ago
The RMT rail union announced a fresh walkout last week after rejecting the latest offer from the Rail Delivery Group to resolve the long-running pay dispute.
The action coincides with the Eurovision final in Liverpool, in a blow to travellers heading to the glitzy ceremony which is being hosted by the UK on behalf of last year's winners Ukraine.
It comes as train drivers from the Aslef union also confirmed three new strike dates in May and June - coinciding with the FA Cup final and the Epsom Derby.
