Finnair to cancel several flights as cabin crew go on strike

The cabin crew of the national flag carrier Finnair will go on a 24-hour strike from Sunday afternoon protesting against the authority’s move to cut up to 450 jobs, announced the Finnish cabin crew association (SLSY) on Saturday.

The walkout will take place at Helsinki Airport from 3:00 pm on Sunday to 3:00 pm on Monday, said Finnish Transport Workers’ Union- AKT in a press release.

The strike will force the Finnair to cancel several flights, said Finnair in a press release on Saturday.

“The strike will have considerable impacts on Finnair operations and unfortunately, we are forced to cancel several flights. We apologize for the worry and inconvenience this may cause you,” said Finnair.

The airline authority also assured to try to re-route passengers to their destinations or passengers can apply for a refund for unused tickets.

Finnair will contact the passengers via SMS and/or e-mail regarding flight cancelation.

Earlier on November 16, Finnair has taken an initiative to cut up to 450 jobs of cabin crew by the end of next year.

The authority will start the change negotiations on November 23 with its cabin crew in Finland to discuss its plans to subcontract inflight service on routes to/from Thailand and the US to partners.

The plan is a part of the efforts to restore Finnair’s profitability by reducing unit costs and strengthening unit revenues.

Earlier in October, Finnair held negotiations to reduce about 200 jobs globally including 120 in Finland.

The negotiations concern about 770 employees working in executive, manager and expert roles but do not concern crew or other operative employees.