Travelers are stranded at the airport because of the SAS pilot strike. Tens of thousands of SAS passengers affected by the ongoing strike. Picture: Michael Fritzon, TT
cancellations and stranded travelers. Pilot strike creates chaos for SAS travelers. Holiday season means that many flights are fully booked and rebooking possibilities are small. And yet there is no solution to the conflict in sight.
The Swedish SAS pilots’ strike is in its second day. Approximately 20,000 passengers affected by canceled 159 flights today. Already yesterday hit about 4 000 passengers when the strike was declared after negotiations between the union and the employer failed.
– We regret that the situation looks as it does, and that our customers can not fly as planned, says Karin Nyman, Director of communications at SAS.
Swedish Pilots’ Association (SPF) has among other things made demands for wage increases of 3.5 percent and that the wage system should apply to both new employees who have worked a long time. When the union failed to reach agreement with the employer, Swedish aviation industry, solved the SPF out her notice of 400 SAS-employed pilots based at the airport.
Stranded charter travelers
The strike affects SAS flights that would flown by Swedish pilots. Flights that are made with hired operators and long-haul flights to the US for instance is not affected.
Those particularly affected are charter companies that are now looking feverishly for replacement flights for stranded passengers.
– this hit very, very hard against us. Right now we have 5000 customers who are not going anywhere, says Ann-Sofie Olsson, press officer at the tour operator Apollo.
Apollo suffer because the company has chartered plane from SAS for a portion of their flights. 2400 by the company’s customers is therefore fixed at various destinations, while another 2400 will set off on their planned trips.
Hard to reschedule
When the stranded passengers can travel home is unclear.
– We have tried to hire aircraft, but it’s really hard. We therefore announced our customers the night we set all flights were done with SAS today. There is no capacity, says Ann-Sofie Olsson.
Wing currently has more than 300 travelers stuck at various destinations, and Fritidsresor 250. Fritidsresor has been set a departure but has found replacement air for 750 of its SAS passengers.
France Travelers may also suffer from the Air France pilots have announced a strike between 11 and 14 June. According to Air France, the majority of the company’s flights go as planned, but urges passengers to keep an eye on the website for more information.
The strike has broken out in the SAS absolute peak season causes problems.
– It is of course full of many flights as rebooking possibilities are not the very best. We do everything we can to help in the best way and find alternatives for our travelers, says Karin Nyman at SAS.
Canceled negotiations
The airport operator Swedavia staff met hundreds of disappointed travelers who had made their way to Arlanda airport in the morning.
– It is clear that people are becoming extremely disappointed but SAS and charter companies have worked hard to inform, says Ulf Wallin, head of Swedavia.
The SPF does not want to comment on the situation more than the parties do not have any contact right now. There is still no date for when the parties will meet for new negotiations.
– We sat at the negotiating table when the pilots broke yesterday. We look forward to coming back to the negotiating table, says Mattias Dahl, CEO of the Swedish aviation industry.
He rules out there, but employers currently has no intention to declare their own action.
the Facts: How to protect travelers at the strike
the affected when the flight been canceled because of the strike may require the airline to refund of the ticket or pay for hotel accommodation.
Passenger rights are governed by an EU regulation. When the strike is the reason that the flight did not go according to schedule, the same rules as for the canceled and delayed flights.
The affected especially the right to re-routing or reimbursement of the ticket. If the passenger does not choose a refund as the airline is obliged to compensate costs for food and hotels. Also, other expenses may be subject to a right to compensation.
In extraordinary circumstances, the airline wholly or partially released from liability.
SAS has gone out to travelers in this case is entitled to repayment , re-routing and reimbursement of expenses, for example, hotel accommodation and meals. Details of the reimbursement available on the SAS website.
Source: Consumer Agency, Hey consumer, SAS
The Facts: The pilots’ demands
A common wage scale – pilots want all Swedish pilots, as well as new employees who have worked for a long time, be subject to the same payroll system.
salary Requirements – 3.5 per cent increase in wages.
Clearer agreements – SPF wants an agreement with clearer descriptions of conditions to avoid disputes over interpretation.
Temporary – SPF requires that the hired company pilots to be covered by collective agreements.
Source: Swedish pilots’
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