Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
French air traffic controllers set to strike and disrupt Swiss travel; why more apartments are being sublet in Zurich; and more news in our roundup on Wednesday.
French airports set for disruptions as air traffic controllers plan to walk out
There have not been any transport sector strikes in Europe in several weeks, but the respite was temporary.
Air traffic controllers in France are planning to strike tomorrow, which means most arriving and departing flights at French airports will be cancelled.
Contact your airline if you planned to fly to France from Switzerland and see if your flight can be rescheduled for after Thursday, but before the holiday weekend of May 9th, 10th and 11th, as unions indicated another industrial action may paralyse French airports on those dates.
Over 60 additional trains to run to Ticino during the Ascension and Pentecost weekends
As it did for the Easter holidays, the national rail company, SBB, will put 61 additional trains into service to coincide with the two heavy-travel holidays on May 9th and May 19th, respectively.
Furthermore, numerous ‘regular’ trains will be extended with additional cars, the company announced on Tuesday, bringing the total of available seats to 52,000 for the Ascension weekend, and 47,000 for the Pentecost.
You will soon be able to take two litres of liquid in your hand luggage at Zurich airport
Thanks to new CT scanners, more and more airports in Europe are lifting strict regulations on amounts of liquids allowed in hand luggage.
Where these scanners are used, bottles with a content of up to two litres may be brought through security checks. Zurich Airport will also soon be using this technology.
In a first step, “two new control lanes for tests with the new devices” will be set up. Zurich Airport is planning to put the two lines into operation as early as this summer.
But the other lanes will also speed up the security process because, thanks to this new technology, electronic devices and liquids will no longer have to be taken out of hand luggage and scanned separately.
Zurich’s housing shortage and high rents trigger the ‘sublet’ trend’
An increasing number of apartments in Zurich are being sub-leased.
According to real estate expert Robert Weinert, the fact that more tenants are seeking to sublet their accommodations reflects “current market developments.”
“Rising rents in particular create an incentive for some people to sublet their apartment.”
Why exactly are they doing this?
Zurich Tenants Association explains that since landlords can raise rents when old tenants leave and new ones arrive, “people who need to temporarily move out want to make sure their rent will remain the same when they return. That's why they keep their old apartment and sublet it while they are away instead of giving it up altogether.
READ ALSO: Can I sublet my rented apartment in Switzerland?
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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French airports set for disruptions as air traffic controllers plan to walk out
There have not been any transport sector strikes in Europe in several weeks, but the respite was temporary.
Air traffic controllers in France are planning to strike tomorrow, which means most arriving and departing flights at French airports will be cancelled.
Contact your airline if you planned to fly to France from Switzerland and see if your flight can be rescheduled for after Thursday, but before the holiday weekend of May 9th, 10th and 11th, as unions indicated another industrial action may paralyse French airports on those dates.
Over 60 additional trains to run to Ticino during the Ascension and Pentecost weekends
As it did for the Easter holidays, the national rail company, SBB, will put 61 additional trains into service to coincide with the two heavy-travel holidays on May 9th and May 19th, respectively.
Furthermore, numerous ‘regular’ trains will be extended with additional cars, the company announced on Tuesday, bringing the total of available seats to 52,000 for the Ascension weekend, and 47,000 for the Pentecost.
You will soon be able to take two litres of liquid in your hand luggage at Zurich airport
Thanks to new CT scanners, more and more airports in Europe are lifting strict regulations on amounts of liquids allowed in hand luggage.
Where these scanners are used, bottles with a content of up to two litres may be brought through security checks. Zurich Airport will also soon be using this technology.
In a first step, “two new control lanes for tests with the new devices” will be set up. Zurich Airport is planning to put the two lines into operation as early as this summer.
But the other lanes will also speed up the security process because, thanks to this new technology, electronic devices and liquids will no longer have to be taken out of hand luggage and scanned separately.
Zurich’s housing shortage and high rents trigger the ‘sublet’ trend’
An increasing number of apartments in Zurich are being sub-leased.
According to real estate expert Robert Weinert, the fact that more tenants are seeking to sublet their accommodations reflects “current market developments.”
“Rising rents in particular create an incentive for some people to sublet their apartment.”
Why exactly are they doing this?
Zurich Tenants Association explains that since landlords can raise rents when old tenants leave and new ones arrive, “people who need to temporarily move out want to make sure their rent will remain the same when they return. That's why they keep their old apartment and sublet it while they are away instead of giving it up altogether.
READ ALSO: Can I sublet my rented apartment in Switzerland?
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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