A five day strike by French air traffic controllers that began yesterday has caused major cancellations and delays at French airports. The controllers are protesting the European Union proposal to unite all air traffic controls under one system. As the air traffic controllers strike got off to its start, the pilots strike by the German union Lufthansa came to an unexpected halt. Pilots for the Cockpit Association, which represents about 4,500 pilots agreed to suspend their strike until March 9 and return to the negotiating table. German officials say it may take a few days to get schedules back to normal. Air traffic controllers in Greece have planned a one day strike for Wednesday to protest cuts and all flights out of or into Athens have been canceled.
See "French Air Traffic Controllers Start 5-Day Strike", Nicola Clark, The New York Times, February 23, 2010