French strike causes chaos at Cannes

A strike by French air traffic controllers caused chaos at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday (15May14) as attendees were caught up in the travel problems. Passengers flying to France faced severe delays and disruption due to a walkout by aviation staff, while industrial action by cab drivers also impacted on those flying into Nice airport on the first day of the festival on Wednesday (14May14).
British pop stars Spandau Ballet are due to attend the event on Friday (16May14) for the premiere of their documentary Soul Boys of the Western World, but Martin Kemp was left waiting for his bandmates on Thursday when they were caught up in the strike chaos.
He posted a video on Instagram.com showing himself drinking coffee in the sunshine while waiting for his colleagues to arrive, adding in a caption, “The other band members are caught up in the French air strike… I will just sit here and wait then… Could be worse!”
Other festival-goers who suffered travel problems on Thursday included screenwriter Stuart Hazeldine, the brains behind 2009 thriller Exam, who wrote in a post on Twitter.com, “Cab cancelled at last minute. Went to wrong terminal. Flight delayed by air traffic control strike. Cab strike in Cannes. C’est La Vie!” while actor Martin Delany tweeted, “Off to Cannes film festival, flight cancelled due to French air traffic strike, re route to Perpignan, this movie business is tough.”