Air France Hop! pilots maintain strike call
PARIS (Reuters) - Pilots at Air France's <AIRF.PA> domestic carrier Hop! plan to carry out a second day of strikes on Thursday as they press for improved pay and conditions, the SNPL union announced.
A first day of action caused minimal disruption on Monday, Air France-KLM said, predicting that a "near totality" of regional services would run again on Feb. 27, with flights to and from Paris unaffected.
The industrial action was limited to the Hop! subsidiary, a company spokesman said.
"No Air France staff are included in the strike call," added the spokesman.
The Hop! pilots aim to strike one day each week as they seek a 12% payroll increase combining a smaller pay rise with looser shift patterns that allow for longer rest periods. Management has offered a 3% increase overall.
The SNPL statement also said Air France had maintained services on Monday using planes from charter companies with weaker labour standards. The strike call was followed by some 40% of Hop! pilots scheduled to work, a union spokeswoman said.
The Air France-KLM spokesman declined to comment on the strike participation rate or any use of charter services.
(Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Shri Navaratnam/Sudip Kar-Gupta)
