Paris braces for November 5 general strike: metro running, RER disrupted, airport flights still undecided

France is heading for another nationwide strike day: unions have called a cross-sector strike and demonstrations for Thursday, November 5, demanding pay rises across all sectors, better pensions and public services, and changes to the government's draft budget, which CGT secretary-general Sophie Binet called "a disaster." For Paris residents and visitors, the key unknowns settle on Wednesday evening: SNCF's detailed service plan is due at 5 p.m. on November 4, and the civil aviation authority decides the same day whether airlines must scale back flights. (Cover photo is a file photo of Paris Gare de Lyon.)

In Paris: metro normal, RER disrupted

Paris operator RATP expects normal metro, tram and bus service, but RER lines will be disrupted — including line B, the rail link to Charles de Gaulle airport, which is affected by the SNCF strike. Metro line 14 to Orly airport should run as normal, as RATP has filed no strike notice for the metro on Thursday. SNCF expects slightly disrupted TGV service and disrupted Intercités, regional TER and Île-de-France trains; cancelled TGV and Intercités tickets can be exchanged or refunded free of charge.

Airports: flight cuts, if any, decided Wednesday

On aviation, the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) must tell airlines on Wednesday, November 4, whether they need to scale back flight schedules. As of Tuesday afternoon, no reduction request had been made public. The FO union filed a strike notice as early as October 29 covering all DGAC staff, but the SNCTA, the majority union of air traffic controllers, is not taking part. Travellers heading into Paris from Charles de Gaulle should allow extra time for reduced RER B service.

School blockades continue: 41 high schools blocked

Student protests continue in parallel: after the two-week holiday break, high-school organisations resumed blockades on Monday. The Education Ministry said about 41 high schools nationwide — around 1 percent — were blockaded as of early Monday, while 75 percent of education departments reported no disruption; at Lycée Hélène-Boucher in Paris's 20th arrondissement, about 20 students blocked the entrance with rubbish bins on Monday morning. Education Minister Edouard Geffray told France Inter that returning to class is an "absolute priority" and that blocking access to schools is illegal; police will reinforce their presence around schools. Student organisations have called for joining the unions' march on November 5.