Finnair Cancels 140 Friday Flights (May 2, 2025) Due to Ground Handling Strikes & Other Airlines Also Affected
Two strikes by various employee groups are affecting Finnair and other airlines’ traffic at multiple airports in Finland on May 2 and 5, 2025. More than 600 employees working in ground handling, airline catering, repair, and maintenance are striking for 4 hours on Friday, May […]
Two strikes by various employee groups are affecting Finnair and other airlines’ traffic at multiple airports in Finland on May 2 and 5, 2025.
More than 600 employees working in ground handling, airline catering, repair, and maintenance are striking for 4 hours on Friday, May 2, and 300 employees who handle passengers, ground handling, and cargo are striking on Monday, May 5.
You can access Finnair here.
Finnair has now cancelled 140 flights scheduled for Friday, and there will also be many cancellations for Monday, as the strike will also go forward.
Some flights may operate without catering, with limited catering options, or depart without checked bags.
Japan Airlines is planning to serve all passengers on its flights from Helsinki to Haneda a boxed meal on May 2 and 3:
JL48/AY5073/BA4625/IB7104 (Helsinki – Tokyo Haneda) on May 2 and May 3
(1) In-flight meals will be the simple menu (boxed lunches, snacks, etc.) regardless of class of cabin services. Beverages will be served as usual.Please note that in-flight special meals* and the “Inflight Meal Reservation Service” for First Class and Business Class will not be available.
- Child meals, allergy meals, meals for religious reasons, vegetarian meals, and meals for passengers who are concerned about their health.
(2) In-flight sales will not be available due to insufficient space onboard.
Passengers whose travel is disrupted will be connected by the airline. Finnair has also allowed passengers to change flights to non-strike days.
The EC 261/2004 Air Passenger Rights legislation also applies during these strikes. The airlines are required to rebook you to your final destination as soon as possible and provide Duty to Care (accommodation and meals) in case of long delays.
Passengers whose flight is cancelled or significantly delayed can also opt for a refund, but that is their choice.
The delay compensation doesn’t apply if the striking employees are not employed by the airline.
Finnair’s EC 261/2004 Notice:
May 2nd Strike Notice:
Preliminary Notice of Strikes on May 2nd
The Airline Industry Union (IAU) will organize four-hour strikes across several companies on Friday, May 2nd. The strikes will primarily involve workers starting their shifts four hours later than they would normally on that day. The affected workers, approximately 600 in total, are responsible for providing ground handling and catering services for Finnair as well as its aircraft maintenance and repair services. The impact will also extend to ground handling services for other airlines.
Since the end of January, IAU has been in unsuccessful negotiations with the Service Employers’ Association (PALTA) over a new collective agreement for aviation services. A fundamental disagreement between the negotiating parties centers on whether there is still justification for a contract solution below the general labor market level.
In the chart above, the salary increases agreed upon in the sector are compared to those aligned with the general labor market level from 2019 to 2024. Due to the dual crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion, no salary increases were implemented in 2021 and 2022, resulting in a 4.3% gap behind general wage development in the sector. Finnair’s comparable operating profit turned positive during 2023.
The “general line” sought by the company in the collective agreement negotiations would lead to an even greater gap between the sector’s wages and the general labor market level in the upcoming contract period, adding 0.1 percentage points to the existing 4.3% gap each year.
IAU’s goal is for the sector’s working conditions to once again align with the general labor market level during the contract period, and for temporary savings measures to end. Should this goal be achieved, IAU would accept the permanent cost savings remaining from both the wage development gap below the general labor market level during 2021–2024, as well as the still-open gap for the new contract period.
May 5 Strike Notice:
Advance Notice of Strikes on May 5th
In addition to the previously announced strikes on Friday, May 2nd, the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) has also scheduled strikes for Monday, May 5th. The strikes will involve over 300 employees responsible for Finnair’s passenger, ground handling, and cargo services. These strikes will also impact ground handling and cargo operations for other airlines.
The new strikes were officially notified today to the national mediator in accordance with the labor dispute notification law. IAU has held unsuccessful negotiations with the Service Sector Employers PALTA since the end of January regarding the renewal of the collective labor agreement for aviation services.
Union’s Update on April 30th:
Settlement proposal rejected – Friday and Monday work stoppages to take place
The IAU trade unions have unanimously rejected the settlement proposal submitted by the mediator to resolve the labour dispute related to the renewal of the collective agreement for air transport services. The proposal did not take into account in any way the goals set by the employees to achieve the general labour market level and to conclude the austerity measures during the upcoming contract period. The rejection of the settlement proposal did not come as a surprise to the parties to the labour dispute or to the mediator.
Finnair’s Press Release:
Finnair to cancel approximately 140 flights due to industrial action in Finland on 2 May, transfers customers to alternative flights
The Finnish Aviation Union IAU has announced industrial action causing extensive disruptions to air traffic on Friday 2 May. 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.
As the industrial action will cause significant disruptions to the operation of flights, Finnair will have to cancel approximately 140 flights on Friday. Flight cancellations are expected to affect approximately 12,000 Finnair customers. Finnair will offer customers of cancelled flights an alternative flight, which the customer can see in the Manage booking service on Finnair’s website or in the Finnair mobile application.
“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,” says Jaakko Schildt, Chief Operating Officer at Finnair.
Customers whose flight was cancelled due to industrial action 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, which will also be visible in Finnair’s Manage booking service and mobile application. Due to the high number of cancellations, rerouting all customers may take time, and customers might have to wait for a while for their new route. The offered routing can be changed within the limits of flight availability in Manage booking or through customer service. Alternatively, customers can cancel their reservation and apply for a refund for the unused ticket.
The industrial action might cause disruptions, for example, in the baggage handling at Helsinki Airport on Friday, so customers travelling on Friday are encouraged 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. Finnair is still assessing the exact effects of the industrial action on Monday’s traffic, but it is likely that if the industrial action takes place, it will cause disruptions on Monday as well.
Conclusion
Finnair still hasn’t reached an agreement with its Pilot Union (the negotiations have been ongoing for about six months), and hundreds of flights have been cancelled as the cockpit crew refuse to work overtime or cover pilots who call in sick.
These ground handling employee wages, according to the union release, have fallen behind since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia shock, and their goal is to get them back on track.
Unfortunately, the parties couldn’t reach an agreement that would have allowed them to avert this strike that will affect many passengers.
