[Anonymous]

[SimonRowberry]

Hi. I got this a day or so ago from Finnair:

“Dear Customer,

The Finnish Cabin Crew Union (SLSY) is threatening to begin a strike on Tuesday, 30 November 2010. Conciliation process continues during the weekend. If the strike takes place, it would affect Finnair and the airline Blue1. The strike would bring a significant part of Finnair’s flight traffic to a halt.

“We are very sorry for the concern the strike threat is causing among our customers. We hope that conciliation leads to an agreement and the strike would be avoided. If the strike takes place, we will make every effort to contact the passengers of all cancelled flights individually by text message,” says Finnair’s SVP Customer Service Anssi Komulainen.

Information and instructions to passengers will be updated continually at the address http://www.finnair.com/info. For text messages, it is important that the current telephone number is included in flight bookings. Passengers can check this by following the instructions given on the information page.

In the event of a strike, Finnair’s flight traffic will be seriously affected. Every effort will be made to operate leisure flights normally, however. Leisure flights are mainly charter flights for the needs of tour operators. Scheduled flights would be affected more significantly. More information about the flights will be available if the strike is announced to begin. Detailed information is updated continually at the address http://www.finnair.com/info.

Finnair Plc
Communications
26 November 2010″

Great – having just posted a profit for the last quarter (Finnair), are the cabin staff hell-bent on economic suicide?

Also, Blue 1 (Code KF – which the Finns say is Swedish for Kansje Flygar – “Might fly”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SAS so God knows what a strike will do for SAS’ bottom-line.

Simon

[Deleted User]

Simon, thank you for your post re Finnair. I have been trying to get a call into the local office but nobody seems to know anything the strike. I am due to fly back from Asia on Wednesday and need to have a back up plan if AY is not flying.

Any up to date news would be appreciated. Many thanks, Charles

[SimonRowberry]

Hi Charles,

According to Helsingin Sanomat’s website (the best newspaper in Finland), arbitration is continuing throughout the weekend, but they don’t seem too optimistic.

Good luck with your trip – It’s ironic that you have joined me in being one of the most ardent supporters of Finnair on this Forum. I hope you don’t suffer for that support.

Regards, Simon

PS It’s probably worth people noting that any Blue 1 strike is likely to have a pretty significant effect on SAS’ intra-Nordic and Baltic services, with a knock-on to the other airlines serving these destinations, possibly even including more “obscure” carriers like Air Baltic.

[Deleted User]

thanks for the update. i am meant to be Dublin on Thursday for 2 days but bearing in mind the awful weather I am hearing about, I would prefer to stay in Asia.

So – for those of you with experience and so that I am well prepared for a cancelled flight with Finnair:

1. WIll I be able to stay in Asia at someones expense

2. would this be an insurance or airline claim

3. if FInnair do go on strike, do I have to come back to Europe or can I stay in the warmth of Asia until the strike is over (at no cost to me).

4. If I am stuck in Asia (hard as it may be) and I have to cancel Dublin, will the costs incurred be repaid by Finnair or should I claim through my travel insurers.

Its a hard life here – but I will suffer if I have to – I just want to be preapred for the suffering!!!!

Thanks Simon for the update. I will not be suffering either way……………!!

[SimonRowberry]

No worries, Charles.

As for the questions you ask – there are others on this Forum who are much better qualified than I to answer them.

Good luck once more!

Simon

[Deleted User]

Thanks Simon and anyone else who is able to update me.

[TominScotland]

Interesting question regarding Finnair and how they will/ will not look after you. They rapidly moved me to BA when weather affected my LHR – HEL – HKG cionnection a couple of weeks ago so maybe they will try to do the same.

The up-coming strike may account for the very disappointing service I experienced on the return leg from HKG – incredibly slow for a 01.15 departure and lights on full for a ridiculous length of time. When I asked about this, I was treated with distain and a total lack of interest/ understanding.

[SimonRowberry]

Tom, AY are pretty good at looking after you if things go wrong with weather, etc. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle things when the cause is a labour dispute.

I was sorry to hear of the poor attitude of the FAs. That is very unlike AY in my quite extensive experience of the airline. One thing I like about them is that they tend to use older FAs in Business Class, both on short- and long-haul, who tend to be more experienced and responsive (and I’m not knocking the younger crew here, who are also generally fine). I hope your experience won’t put you off flying them again.

Regards, Simon

[Deleted User]

the slow food service and bright cabin lights is a problem that all the FA are aware of and is being addressed with “management”. On the several occasions I have raised this subject with the Purser, they have acted extremely professionally and turned the lights down. Its as if they didnt realise they could still see and work with dimmed lights. I feel sure this issue will be resolved within a few months.

As for the strike – the only comment I would raise is that the strike call was kept very quiet or else it wasnt meant to happen. I would have thought that I would have heard within a 48 hour window before a longhaul scheduled flight that a strike was on the cards.

I would like to know whether I need to utilise the skillset of the forum to claim my millions in compo or whether I should just settle for a milllion airmiles!!

Quite happily settle for a few extra days in Asia with hotel thrown in + dimmed lights back to London via Helsinki!!!

I guess though the flight will leave on time………………….

[SimonRowberry]

Good luck, Charles. I really hope it works out, whichever way works best for you!

Simon

[Deleted User]

In case anyone else is about to get caught up with the possible Finnair strike, I am posting this link to the updated news.

http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=th&news_id=7833

I have been told that a decision will be made Tuesday morning regarding flights scheduled to leave Tuesday night/Wedensday morning.

In the meantime, all joking aside, if the flight is cancelled is my hotel covered or do I need to claim from Finnair/Insurance or do I go to the airport anyway.

[Potakas]

CMB, i think the best thing to learn it, is to check if Finnair had any other strikes on the recent past and then search in some forums to see if someone wrote any experiences. I tried to do it for you but i didn’t find anything..

Wish you to spend some extra days on a swimming pool waiting the strike (or the bad weather in UK ) to stop.

Regards

Potakas

[Deleted User]

Dear Potakas

Thank you very much for your kind assistance – really appreciate it.

Amex have updated me with the following:

“we have spoken to Finnair on your behalf today and they have confirmed that as yet , the strike is only as a warning and not yet confirmed. The strike is due to start Tuesday 30 November, but as yet they are not making any changes to any bookings. They have said they will repatriate you on another airline once the strike is confirmed at no extra cost to you.
They have not given a time of when they will know but only that the updates will be made on their website.”

Unlike BA, it seems that the Finnair process is a little more direct with a little less notice.

One question I do have, if the strike goes ahead am I oblidged to take a flight on a 3rd party carrier or can I decline and insist on waiting for the Finnair flight.

Thank you once again Potakas.

Charles

[SimonRowberry]

Hi Charles,

I’ve just looked at today’s edition of Helsingin Sanomat and there’s nothing on there about the strike, strangely. Presumably that means that talks are still progressing.

Best wishes, Simon

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