Swedish Traveler Caught in French Air Traffic Chaos

Linn Rydell, 30, was set to fly from the Riviera back to Sweden on Thursday. However, she received a text message informing her that the flight was canceled.

Linn Rydell has lived in Antibes for eight years. Currently, her father from Sweden is visiting.

But tomorrow, Thursday, both of them—along with Linn Rydell's sons Léon, 5, and Théo, 2—were supposed to fly to Sweden.

A text message changed those plans.

"It was lucky I was checking my phone. It just said the flight was canceled. Then we got another message saying we had to go in and change the flight ourselves," says Linn Rydell.

She and her father logged into their different booking numbers with the airline Norwegian. Apparently, many other travelers did the same.

"There was a plane that was supposed to stop over in Helsinki on Thursday. Then a flight on Friday, and one on Saturday. But suddenly they were all gone. It happened in five minutes," she says.

On Sunday, there was a flight to Sweden that still had seats available.

"We booked it immediately. Then we called Norwegian, it took two hours to get through, and they said it was due to a strike," says Linn Rydell.

According to the information she received on the phone, they can rebook for free if the strike is called off or ends before Sunday.

"But it was very strange because a friend of mine is flying with SAS tomorrow and that plane is going."

French air traffic controllers have announced a strike starting Thursday, July 3, and lasting for several days.

"Within Fifteen Minutes, Everything Was Gone"

The French Civil Aviation Authority has urged airlines to halve the number of flights from Nice and also reduce traffic to and from Lyon, Marseille, and Montpellier, reports news agency Reuters.

Nice Airport, France's third-largest serving the summer destination Riviera, warns on its website of "severe disruptions" in traffic.

"Imagine if I hadn't seen the text. Within fifteen minutes, everything was gone," says Linn Rydell.

Now her father has had to book extra nights at a hotel. The family reunion they planned for the weekend will not happen.

"For me and my sons, it's okay since we live here. But it's sad that we can't meet the family, and I hope it works out on Sunday because my dad has to go back to work."

Charlotte Holmbergh, press manager for Norwegian Sweden, confirms that flights to and from Nice and Paris have been canceled.

"We take it day by day. It's difficult to manage because it's not caused by us."

She confirms that the company encourages its customers to try to find alternative travel options on their own.

"Sometimes it can be easier for the traveler to find alternatives themselves. But you can also call our customer service," she says.

"All affected travelers receive information directly from us."