Air France strikes cause flight delays

Air France said it is canceling some short- and medium-haul flights Thursday because of a strike by some ground staff over pay demands.

The airline said its long-haul flights will operate normally, although the one-day strike, called by two labor unions, will cause delays. It pledged that all its passengers will get to their destinations.

The unions are putting pressure on Air France management in salary negotiations scheduled to conclude February 7.

Air France said in a statement that the salaries of its ground staff rose 5.1 percent in 2007, compared with 3 percent for the main French private-sector companies.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/01/30/france.airstrikes.ap/index.html