Finnair to cancel approximately 60 flights due to industrial action at Helsinki Airport on 16 May

The Finnish Aviation Union IAU has announced industrial action at Finnair’s home hub Helsinki Airport, causing extensive disruptions to Finnair traffic on Friday, 16 May. According to the IAU, the industrial actions are similar to those carried out earlier in May. The four-hour industrial actions target different work shifts and thus affect many functions essential to Finnair’s flights throughout the day, such as ground handling operations and catering services.

As industrial action will cause significant disruptions to the operation of flights, Finnair will have to cancel approximately 60 flights on Friday. Flight cancellations are expected to affect approximately 6,000 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 on the Finnair mobile application.

“We are very sorry for the changes to our customers’ travel plans caused by this situation. We are doing our best to offer our customers new routing as quickly as possible,” says Jaakko Schildt, Finnair’s Chief Operating Officer.

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.

Customers are asked to make sure that their contact information is up to date on their reservation. 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 carry-on baggage.

The IAU has also announced similar industrial action on Monday, 19 May. Finnair is still assessing the exact effects of the industrial action on that day’s traffic, but it is likely that if it takes place, it will cause disruptions on that day as well.

The article Finnair to cancel approximately 60 flights due to industrial action at Helsinki Airport on 16 May first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.