French Unrest Keeps Travel Industry on Guard

With rioting turning violent and talk of strikes in the air, travelers “should be at least concerned,” says airline watcher Terry Trippler of Cheapseats.com. If strikes occur, “the disruption of the transportation system in France could be minor, or it could be a real mess.”

Unions and students protesting a new labor law have called for a limited strike on Tuesday, but tourist sites and transportation hubs such as airports are expected to remain open. Still, to be safe, Europe-bound vacationers should route upcoming flights through capitals outside of France, Trippler says.

A strike that shuts down airports or train lines is a bigger concern for travelers than the escalating violence. Police used water cannons Saturday to hold off rioters at Sorbonne University in Paris, and violence also erupted at the Place de la Nation; one protester was left in a coma. But the incidents were far-removed from most tourist areas, says Paris-based travel writer Heather Stimmler-Hall, who covers the city for Fodor´s.

The law causing the unrest allows employers to fire workers younger than 26 in the first two years of employment without giving a reason.