Passengers stranded as pilots strike
About 260 passengers expecting to fly from Beijing to Helsinki had their flights cancelled or rerouted yesterday after 750 Finnair pilots went on strike yesterday morning in Finland.
Mikko Rautio, chief representative of Finnair China, told METRO that passengers scheduled to take the Beijing-Helsinki route between Sunday and Tuesday had been moved on to other flights.
Rautio said: "All the clients booked on the Beijing-Helsinki route have been transferred on to other airlines which can offer flights from Beijing to Europe. Around 40 passengers did not manage to travel to Europe on Sunday and were provided accommodation and meals."
Rautio added yesterday that tomorrow's flights were also canceled but transfers were being planned now.
Finnair pilots went on strike after the airline hired pilots from other companies while its own pilots were being laid off, Swedish media the Daily Industry reported.
Rautio said the strike occurred because Finnair pilots were worried that pilots from other airlines were being hired at lower rates without their permission, putting their own jobs in jeopardy.
The strike is expected to lose the carrier up to 5 million euros every day.
Rautio said: "We want Finnair's pilot union to start negotiations with the company under the Finnish government's assistance soon.
"Finnair's main objective is to ensure our clients arrive at their final destination on the same day as planned. Rerouted passengers to other airlines cost Finnair a lot more than the tickets provide," he said.
Rautio also announced there would be no compensation for affected passengers.
"By yesterday we hadn't received any complaints from passengers about Finnair's cancellations," said Li Shunbo, a press officer at Beijing Capital International Airport.
Pasi Aalponin, a Finnish man working in China, said he was annoyed because he and his wife's trip to Finland was delayed.
"We are very frustrated and have to do some unwanted re-planning. It does make us reconsider using this airline in the future," said Aalponin. He added he was sorry for the pilot's situation but felt they were asking for too much under the current global economy crisis.
"The benefits they receive seem extremely fair. The global economy has had an impact on everyone, not just them," said Aalponin.
Xinhua News Agency estimated that 20,000 passengers would be affected each day. If the strike lasts more than one week, Finnair will stop paying the pilots. Finnair is Finland's biggest airline and one of the six oldest airlines in the world.
(China Daily 11/17/2009 page26)
