The South African Airways (SAA) saga continues. Passengers are being advised that SAA has cancelled virtually all its domestic, regional and international flights from Friday, November 15, to Saturday, November 16.
This follows a statement issued by SAA on Wednesday evening, November 13. The statement claims only flights operated by SAA will be affected.
Flights on SA Express, Mango, SA Airlink and all codeshare partners, as well as Star Alliance will operate as normal.
Why are SAA flights being cancelled?
Following the airline’s announcement on Monday, November 11, regarding retrenchments, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the South African Cabin Crew Association (Sacca) issued SAA with a strike notice.
The unions are accusing the airline’s management of not engaging in any form of a consultation process with its employees regarding the upcoming retrenchments. The strike is set to commence on Friday morning.
Also read: SAA to start restructuring process, will 1000 people lose their jobs
To minimise flight disruptions, the airline thought it would be better to rather cancel its flights.
People who will be affected passengers are asked to contact the SAA contact centre or their travel agents. They will be allowed to rebook any other SAA flight until 31 October 2020 at no additional charge. This will be subject to availability in the same booking class.
Mango spokesperson Sergio dos Santos adds that while Mango Airlines will be operating as usual, it will also be working together with SAA to assist passengers who might find themselves stranded.
With the strike set to take place, SAA’s acting CEO, Zuks Ramasia is warning that the airline, which is already technically insolvent, may not be able to recover from the strike.
Do you believe the strike will cause more damage to SAA? Or do you think the employees should stand their ground, as their jobs are on the line? Share your thoughts and views with us in the comment section below.
