Strike at Helsinki Airport will have considerable impacts on Finnair flights on Friday March 10 – customers may change their travel date
Strike and support actions are planned for Friday, March 10 from 3 pm – 7 pm EET at Helsinki Airport, related to the dispute between the Finnish Aviation Union and the service sector employer union Palta about labour agreements in Airpro Oy. The strike will considerably impact Finnair’s flights on Friday, even though Finnair is in no way party to the dispute.
If implemented, the strike actions would take place during the most critical hours for Finnair traffic. Finnair has over 90 flights scheduled for Friday March 10 between 3 pm and 7 pm. During the strike, critical ground services will not be available or are very limited.
”If the strike takes place, we are unfortunately forced to cancel tens of flights. We are currently working on the traffic plan, and will communicate flight cancellations during Wednesday and Thursday, as the plans
proceed”, says Jaakko Schildt, Finnair Chief Operating Officer. ”We will inform customers whose flights are cancelled directly with text messages, and do our best to find a suitable rerouting for them.”
Customers, who have a reservation for a Finnair flight on Friday March 10 or on one of the other possible strike days (14 March and 17 March), can change their travel date until April 2 to avoid travelling on the dates when the strikes might affect Finnair’s flights.
”It is extremely unfortunate that the strikes can disrupt the travel plans of thousands of Finnair customers during a very busy winter travel season. Finnair is not a party to the dispute, but the impacts will cause great trouble and worry to our customers. Additionally, they will create a negative financial impact of millions of euros for us. We also hope that the strike will not affect the image of Finland as a travel destination”, Schildt says.
The strike also affects catering services and baggage handling
Finnair’s on-board meal and drink service will also be limited during the strike. Only water will be served on domestic flights and water and sandwiches will be served on European flights. The delivery of pre-order meals and other products will also be significantly restricted.
Finnair recommends customers to travel only with hand luggage on Friday March 10, if possible, as baggage handling will also be disturbed. Normal weight and size limitations of hand luggage must still be followed.
Longer waiting times are unfortunately expected in Finnair’s customer service, and we ask for customers’ patience. Customers can contact Finnair via the Chat service on Finnair’s internet pages, by phone or in social media by sending a message to @finnairhelps on Twitter or a private message on Finnair’s Facebook pages.
More information about the strike and support actions can be found on Finavia’s internet pages at www.finavia.fi.
Further information:
Finnair Media Desk, +358 9 818 4020, comms(a)finnair.com
www.finnair.com, www.finnairgroup.com
www.twitter.com/Finnair
www.facebook.com/finnair
www.instagram.com/feelfinnair
www.youtube.com/finnair
Images: gallery.finnair.com
Finnair blog: blogs.finnair.com
About Finnair
Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than ten million passengers annually. In 2017, Finnair's extensive network connects 18 cities in Asia and 7 cities in North America with over 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, was the first European airline to fly the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and it is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past seven years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.