EasyJet shares lifted by Air France strike action

British airline easyJet has raised its profits forecast but spurred shareholders hopes of a lucrative reward.

It expects to report a pretax profit in the range of 740 million euros, as much as 6 percent more than guidance given in July.

The firm still plans to give shareholders a 40 percent pretax profit, above the previous one-third distribution.

The low-cast carrier has reaped higher revenues thanks to a strike by Air France which saw thousands of customers switch.

EasyJet is set to announce its full-year results on Nov 18.