Finnair will cancel approximately 110 flights on Wednesday, 4 June due to industrial action announced by the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) at Helsinki Airport (HEL), where Finnair’s main hub is located.
Disruption at Helsinki Airport
The IAU has announced it will carry out industrial action similar to its previous strikes on 30 May and 2 June. The strikes are proceeding after a failure to reach a resolution in negotiations between the union and the airline. These negotiations mainly revolve around a lack of salary increases. Talks have slowed since late January as the union has stated that employees did not receive raises in 2021 or 2022, and that aviation sector wage growth has fallen behind that of other industries, according to Bristol Live.
The industrial action is expected to cause severe disruptions to air traffic during the four-hour strike period and will also affect other Finnair services such as ground handling operations and catering services. The cancellations will affect around 11,000 Finnair customers. Customers facing disruption due to industrial action are urged to take the following steps:
- Ensure that their contact information is updated on the flight booking;
- Arrive for check-in well in advance, and;
- Pack essential items such as medicines in carry-on luggage, as baggage handling may be affected.
The industrial action targets different work shifts over the work day, creating disruption across Finnair’s entire flight schedule. The IAU has also announced similar strike action taking place on Wednesday, 11 June. Finnair is still assessing the potential impact of this on operations but it is likely that Norra — its regional airline, which is a joint venture with Danish Air Transport — will face the most disruption.
Finnair’s Response
The Finnish flag carrier will once again help customers affected by strikes to reschedule their flights in the event that their flight is cancelled. As soon as a flight is cancelled, Finnair will contact all passengers to inform them and to offer them a new flight. This will be visible in Finnair’s ‘Manage booking’ service as well as its mobile app. Changes to the new flight can be made through ‘Manage booking’ or by contacting customer service. Customers can also cancel the flight and apply for a refund for unused tickets. Issuing a statement on the previous disruptions on May 30, Finnair’s Chief Operating Officer, Jaakko Schildt, said:
“We are deeply sorry that our customers’ important travel plans are once again disrupted. We are doing everything we can to provide our customers with alternative routing as quickly as possible.”
The airline’s website contains useful information for customers booked to travel on strike days and thanks customers for their continued patience.
Have you been affected by the IAU’s industrial action? How well do you believe Finnair is dealing with the disruption? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
