Air traffic controllers strike begins in France

Disgruntled would-be passengers are complaining about hundreds of canceled or delayed flights as air traffic controllers begin a four-day strike across France.

France's civil aviation agency has ordered airlines to cut back half of the flights in and out of Paris' Orly aiport and one in four at Charles de Gaulle amid staffing shortages caused by the walkout.

Five unions of air traffic controllers called the four-day strike to protest conditions of plans to integrate European air traffic control. Workers fear losses of jobs and civil servant benefits.

The strike beginnng Tuesday comes amid a seasonal school holiday in France. Union leaders are hoping to pressure President Nicolas Sarkozy's governing conservatives ahead of regional elections next month.