An Air France pilots union threatened to continue striking indefinitely on Thursday, as the airline announced 60% of the day's flights were canceled.
Thousands of passengers have faced long lines, overnight stays at airports, and repeated delays and cancelations. A majority of flights have been canceled each day since Monday, according to Air France.
On Wednesday, the French government urged an end to the strike that has grounded at least half of the airline's flights this week. The pilots are angry about Air France's plans to shift many operations to low-cost affiliate Transavia, and to transfer some jobs to countries with lower taxes and labor costs.
SNPL pilots union head Jean-Louis Barber said on Thursday that the union may vote to extend the strike -- even beyond the originally set Sept. 22 end date.
"The CEO of Air France cannot run the company without his pilots," Barber told newspaper Le Monde.
The flagship French carrier argues that it needs to cut costs to stay competitive in the face of rivalry from budget airlines and Gulf state carriers, Reuters reported. However, many passengers in airport-departure halls have expressed a mix of fury, frustration and resignation. Pilots in France have among the most generous salaries in France.
But for Steve Ford, who with his family had planned to fly to Birmingham, England, for a wedding, it's understandable: Pilots have thousands of lives in their hands every day.
"It's an important job, they have to be paid properly," the 53-year-old stay-at-home dad said, adding that he has pilots in his family. "They can't party, they can't drink, they can't hang out. They have to get up early."
As for the strike, "They've got to do what they've got to do," said Ford, a native of Britain who lives in Chicago. "It's France. It is what it is. They are always striking about something."
Many customers have complained about the difficulty in rescheduling their Air France flights -- customer service on the company's website and by phone has been overwhelmed by requests. The airline has urged passengers to postpone their travel if possible.
Air France has been responding to some clients on Twitter, but its customer service has been unable to assist the many travelers stranded worldwide due to the strike.
@airfrance we are in chile and my flight was canceled, we need to reschedule the flight. I called to air france chile and nobody answer me.— Nicole Usan (@NikoOOL) September 18, 2014
@airfrance not a word from air France. I was stranded in Paris. Your agents were of no help. I managed to my destination on my own.— Geoff Carnes (@carnesgh) September 18, 2014
@airfrance hi can someone please resound to my requests? Stranded in France on way home now— stevenmcgough (@stevenmcgough1) September 18, 2014
@airfrance we are stranded in buenos aires. Flight 393 cancelled. What do we do? I've had no email from you?!— Alison White (@TheAliWhite) September 15, 2014
However, not all travelers responded to the delays with frustration.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press