SAA pilots go ahead with strike
South African Airways (SAA) has announced that the intended strike by the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) will indeed go ahead today, 5 December.
This comes after wage increase disputes, with the pilots’ demands not being met.
The airline revealed that SAAPA’s initial wage increase demand in May this year was for a 30% increase in pilot salaries.
South African Airways’ final wage offer of 8.46% was presented to SAAPA in September and was met with dissatisfaction.
As per Travel News, SAA has since put out the following travel advisory for travellers and trade partners.
“Customers booked to fly on our services on the affected day will be re-accommodated to the next available flights operated by SAA. We urge our trade partners to manage their booking queues and communicate these changes to our valued customers accordingly,” SAA said in a press release.
“Passengers booked on the flight affected by the cancellations will be re-accommodated on the next available flight operated by SAA. Should this time not suit the passenger, the agent may select another suitable date in the same cabin class on South African Airways’ services. Agents are urged to communicate accordingly with affected passengers, as their contact details might not be reflected in the booking but rather in the agent’s details.” the airline went on to add.
Flight routes affected
The strike will affect all SAA-operated flights on major domestic and regional routes, including:
- Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Cape Town (CPT)
- Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Durban (DUR)
- Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Gqeberha (PLZ)
- Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Windhoek (WDH)
- Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Mauritius (MRU)
The airline added that flights operated on partner airlines, including codeshare partners and Star Alliance partner airlines, will not be affected.
Read the full travel advisory here.
Do you think the pilots demands should be met by SAA?
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