SAS to cancel 334 flights due to conflict with union representing Norwegian cabin

SAS to cancel 334 flights due to conflict with union representing Norwegian cabin personnel Effective midnight Tuesday, November 28, SAS is being forced to cancel 334 flights until the following midnight, Wednesday, November 29, due to the current dispute with NKF, the union representing Norwegian cabin personnel. In all, approximately 20,000 passengers will be affected when all 161 flights on Norwegian domestic routes are canceled tomorrow. Scandinavian and European traffic will also be affected severely. Thirty-five Swedish domestic flights are being canceled, and nine in Denmark. More than 40 flights in the so-called "capital city triangle" consisting of Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen are also being canceled. Approximately 40 flights between Norway and the rest of Europe are being canceled and traffic between Copenhagen and other European cities will be affected by the cancellation of more than 30 flights. Only a few flights between Stockholm and Continental Europe are being canceled. SAS normally has approximately 1,100 flights each day in its traffic system. Passengers with reservations on SAS on November 29 are being asked to check with their travel agent or the SAS sales office for possible rescheduling. Background The dispute has its origins in a failure to agree on salary levels, and on a so-called "reassignment agreement" for Norwegian cabin personnel. On November 27, Norsk Kabinförening (NKF), the union representing the personnel, rejected the offer made by a mediator, and which had been approved earlier by SAS. On Monday, November 27, the union called its members out on a 24-hour strike that affected 12,000 passengers and 159 flights on Norwegian routes. Notice of future action The union has also given notice of a dispute beginning at midnight Thursday, December 30 until midnight Friday, December 1. The notice of the Friday dispute represents a further escalation of the conflict and could also affect SAS' intercontinental traffic. If the conflict has not been resolved by December 4, the union (NKF) has given notice that it will call a strike with an unspecified time limit that will affect all Norwegian cabin personnel. SAS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/28/20001128BIT01190/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/28/20001128BIT01190/bit0002.pdf