1) Heavy traffic heading north this weekend
Drivers heading north this weekend should expect heavy traffic as millions return from their summer holidays.
Drivers can consult the Bison Futé traffic advice service for up-to-date information before setting out.
As usual it is best to leave as early as possible to avoid the worst of the traffic.
Below, we have covered the key points from Bison Futé for the next four days.
On Friday August 25:
Traffic will be particularly congested heading north, with coastal Mediterranean departments facing a red level warning for traffic conditions.
Expect heavy traffic through the Rhone valley on the A7, and around the Mediterranean crescent on the A8 and A9, and between Bordeaux and Poitiers on the A10.
Traffic is likely to be heavy between early afternoon and late evening.
On Saturday August 26:
Traffic will be congested all day in both directions, but more so going north. The entire country is facing red level warnings for returning journeys to major population areas.
The A7 is expected to be highly congested in both directions.
Heading north, drivers should expect heavy traffic on the A10 between Bordeaux and Poitiers and the A9 between Narbonne and Montpellier.
On Sunday August 27:
Traffic will be congested heading north.
In Île-de-France, the A10 and A6 will be particularly congested between early afternoon and late evening. The A13 could also be very busy.
Congestion is also anticipated on the A7 and A71.
On Monday August 28:
The Île-de-France area will be congested all day on the A10 and A6 and on the Peripherique joining the A3 and A1.
Congestion is also expected on the A7 in the Rhone valley and on the A10 between Tours and Orléans.
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2) New tax on airlines to pay for green transport will not help, warns industry
A new tax on airlines to help support a greener rail network will slow decarbonisation efforts in the aviation sector and increase prices, says Thomas Juin, the president of the French airport union.
He is concerned that the government will raise new levies on airlines in the 2024 budget, which is to be announced in September.
Read more: More tax on alcohol, sick pay: what will France’s 2024 budget change?
“Taxes already represent up to a third of the short haul ticket price”, said Mr. Juin, in an interview with France Info.
“Any additional taxes will either increase ticket prices or erode our profit margins, which will damage the sector’s competitiveness,” he added.
In addition to the already heavy burden of taxes, the airline industry faces costs of up to $3billion by 2030 due to decarbonising measures, he said.
Mr Juin said that public money will be required to develop the biofuel industry in France if it is to produce enough fuel to replace the kerosene currently used in jet fuel.
Read more: Tax on airline tickets to rise in France to fund train investments
3) Start-up offers to take luggage to the airport
A French startup is proposing to check-in passengers’ luggage in the centre of Paris and take it to the airport for them.
Alltheway is a partner of Airfrance and is authorised by Direction générale de l’Aviation civile to check-in travellers’ luggage.
The company collects and checks luggage at several collection points located in Parisian hotels.
Any bags included on the passengers’ tickets may be checked, with the exception of ‘special baggage items’, such as strollers or golf bags.
Baggage is also fitted with a tracker, allowing passengers to follow their luggage via the Alltheway App.
Emilie Gazeau, the co-founder and CEO of Alltheway, said, “Our only rival is the time wasting process of manually checking-in luggage.”
The company also plans to open a check-in hub at Gare du Nord and, from September, allow Parisians to check-in their luggage from home.
The company is also looking at delivering luggage to drop off points (points relais) from October.
Read more: France travel: What are your rights for late, lost or damaged luggage?
4) Baggage handlers at Gatwick airport happy with pay offer and will not strike
The possibility of a baggage handler strike at Gatwick airport has been averted. Last week baggage handlers put their strike action on hold pending a vote on the improved pay on offer by their employer.
The new deal, which sees their pay increased by 14%, has been accepted by the Unite union.
“Unite coordinated the industrial action at Gatwick airport to obtain well earned pay increases for its members,” said General Secretary of the union, Sharon Graham.
“No further strike actions are planned,” she added.
Unite had planned several strikes of airport workers and baggage handlers through July and August, all of which were averted with the new pay deals.
Read more: UK unveils launch price of new visa waiver: when and who is affected?
5) Ryanair launching routes to Jordan and Denmark from France
Ryanair will open two new routes from France this winter, flying from Marseille to Jordan from Paris Beauvais to Copenhagen.
The low cost airline will operate four flights a week to both destinations from October 30.
The move comes as Ryanair expands its Copenhagen hub in December with an investment of $200m that will create over 100 direct jobs.
Speaking in Copenhagen, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary said: “Ryanair’s new Copenhagen base will build on our 20 existing routes which we operate to and from Copenhagen using aircraft based outside Denmark.”
The company has operated flights to Jordan since 2018.
Read more: EasyJet cancels 1,700 summer flights amid fears of further strikes
6) SNCF fined for damaging bird habitat in Angers
The SNCF has been fined €450,000 by the Angers court for “complicity in the destruction of a natural habitat”.
The episode relates to the destruction of a bird habitat in Écouflant, near Angers in 2019.
SNCF contracted a company to clear the land which, according to five associations, was home to a variety of bird species.
Some included the Eurasian blackcap, the great tit and the Eurasian wren.
The court acknowledged the “remarkable investigative work” by the French Biodiversity Agency (Office français de la biodiversité) which led to the fine.
The SNCF sub-contractor which undertook the land clearing work was fined €30,000, and both SNCF and the subcontractor are additionally required to pay €10,000 in damages to the associations that raised the complaint.
Both parties may appeal against the fine.
Read more: SNCF fined over crushing cat taking refuge under TGV at French station
7) Man crosses France in 100 year old barge
Since April Jean-Marc Samuel, 65, has been travelling the waterways of France in his 100 year-old barge.
“It’s an old merchant vessel that used to travel around Europe and along the canal du Midi in particular. It shows how tough these boats are that you can still use them, even when they are 50, 60, 70 or even 100 years old,” he told France 3.
Mr Samuel is president of the Agir pour le fluvial Federation which seeks to promote use of waterways as a means to fight climate change.
“The point is to show that we can cross France on the waterways. People should be more aware of this.
"The river and canal network is extensive enough to let anyone travel almost anywhere in France or even in Europe,” said Mr Samuel.
He set off from Toulouse four months ago, reached Rouen, and is now on the return leg via the canal de Bourgogne.
But he does not believe that canal boats should merely be a novelty choice for travel.
“People need to consider decarbonisation, using more varied ways of travel. The advantage with a riverboat is that you save between 30 and 70% of CO2 depending on the boat’s size. My 160 tonne boat only uses a motor similar to that for a small car. We need to be developing the waterways”
You can watch an interview Mr Samuel did with France 3 below:
Read more: ‘€8,000 barge in France gave us an off-grid retirement’
