Traditional carriers facing turbulence

[PARIS] With low-cost airlines on the cusp of dominating Europe's skies, turbulent times are in store for traditional carriers that are finding it hard to adapt, as the ongoing strike at Air France shows.

Air France pilots are now into the second week of a strike over management plans to step up development of its budget Transavia unit where pilots are paid considerably less.

The strike has forced Europe's second largest airline after Lufthansa to ground around half of its flights and is costing it 20 million euros (S$32.5 million) per day, which Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Tuesday "represents a real danger for Air France".