Finnair to cancel approximately 70 flights due to industrial action in Finland on 27 March

Finnish Aviation Union IAU’s three trade unions and Finnish Transport Workers’ Union AKT have announced industrial action taking a stand on state’s role in Shareholders’ Nomination Board. According to the announcement, the industrial action is political, and will take place on Thursday 27 March, between 2p.m. and 4p.m.

The industrial action will impact Helsinki Airport’s operations, such as customer service at the airport, baggage handling, and other ground services, disrupting Finnair’s flight operations. Consequently, Finnair will cancel approximately 70 flights. Cancellations will affect approximately 6500 Finnair customers. Finnair will offer an alternative flight for customers whose flight was cancelled.

“The effects of this industrial actions on our customers are unreasonable – approximately 6500 customers will have to change their travel plans when flights must be cancelled. We will do our very best to offer a suitable new routing to everyone,” says Jaakko Schildt, Chief Operating Officer at Finnair.

Customers whose flight was cancelled due to the industrial action will be informed about the cancellation as soon as it has been done. After this, the customer will be informed about the new routing, which will also be seen in Finnair’s Manage booking service and mobile application. The offered routing can be changed 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 disruption in Helsinki Airport’s services and baggage handling on Thursday, so customers travelling on Thursday are encouraged to check-in in advance, arrive at the airport on time and pack essential items, such as medicines, in hand baggage.

“We are very sorry for the concern and the changes to our customers’ travel plans caused by this situation. We ask for patience from customers, and we will do our best to ensure that customers can carry out their travel plans despite this unfortunate situation,” says Schildt.

The article Finnair to cancel approximately 70 flights due to industrial action in Finland on 27 March first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.