Airline strike on Friday, January 30
Airline strike on Friday, January 30 Following negotiations on Wednesday between the Swedish Air Transport Industry Employers' Association and the Swedish Transport Workers' Union, it was not possible to reach an agreement on the 2003 contract for flight technicians, mechanics, baggage handlers and packers. The Transport Workers' Union has made demands that are unacceptable for the SAS Group. In 2003, the SAS Group experienced the worst year in its history. Preliminary figures indicate a loss of some SEK 2 billion. Against this background, it is impossible for SAS management to accept an agreement with the union that would further worsen the Group's already critical financial position. A conflict has become unavoidable, since the Transport Workers' Union has demanded exclusive right for flight technicians to perform a certain task that can be performed by mechanics at lower cost. Damage to SAS severe With its strike measures, the Transport Workers' Union will seriously damage SAS and make an already critical situation for the company even more severe. The strike measures will affect third parties, meaning SAS' customers. Given the competition now prevailing in the Swedish market, a large number of customers will also leave SAS to fly with other airlines. During Friday, January 30, SAS will operate according to a new traffic plan that will entail cancellation of some 80 departures between the hours of 5:00 and 10:00 a.m. Furthermore, some 20 flights will be delayed. In addition to SAS, Blue 1, Braathens, SAS Commuter, Snowflake and Spanair will be affected. Passengers seeking more detailed departure information are referred to the SAS website: www.sas.se. SAS will offer all passengers an opportunity to rebook their flights for the hours in question. SAS GROUP CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/29/20040129BIT00180/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2004/01/29/20040129BIT00180/wkr0002.pdf