National flag carrier Finnair will cancel about 140 flights on Friday due to a four-hour strike enforced by the trade unions, said Finnair in a press release on Wednesday.
The Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) decided to observe the strike as the unions unanimously rejected the negotiation proposal made by the mediator regarding renewal of the collective agreement for aviation services, said IAU in a press release on Wednesday.
According to the IAU, the industrial action will be four-hour-long and will take place in different shifts. Therefore, the industrial actions are not tied to a specific time but will affect many functions that are essential for Finnair's flights during the day, such as aircraft maintenance, ground handling operations and catering services.
Flight cancellations will affect about 12,000 Finnair passengers. Finnair will offer passengers of cancelled flights an alternative flight.
"It is unreasonable that 12,000 of our customers have to change their travel plans during the May Day weekend due to industrial action. We hoped until the end that industrial action could have been avoided. We are sorry for the situation and will do everything we can to ensure that every customer receives a suitable new routing as soon as possible," said Jaakko Schildt, Chief Operating Officer of Finnair.
Passengers whose flight was cancelled due to the strike will be informed about the cancellation as soon as it has been done. After this, the customer will receive a message and be offered a new route.
Alternatively, customers can cancel their reservation and apply for a refund for the unused ticket.
The strike might cause disruptions in the baggage handling at Helsinki Airport on Friday and passengers travelling on the day are urged to check-in in advance, arrive at the airport on time and pack essential items, such as medicines, in hand baggage.
The IAU has also announced similar industrial action on Monday 5 May.
Earlier, National flag carrier Finnair cancelled about 70 flights on March 27 due to strike called by the IAU and the Finnish Transport Workers' Union (AKT).
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
