On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that SAS’s pilots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark have submitted letters of resignation.
This means that in the worst case, about 800 pilots can go on strike from 29 June.
– Not covered
If there is a strike, the consequences can be great for many. The strike starts potentially just before the joint holiday, and thousands of Norwegians have planned a holiday abroad for the first time in maybe two years.
But what are you really entitled to if you have airline tickets from SAS, and the flight is canceled due to the strike?
This is the SAS conflict
The core of the conflict is the creation of two staffing companies. When the pandemic hit, around 560 pilots lost their jobs. At the same time, the subsidiaries SAS Link and SAS Connect were established.
These will take over aircraft and be filled with new pilots. The SAS pilots say the company is trying to circumvent its obligations to bring the dismissed pilots back. SAS rejects this, and believes the company relates to all agreements entered into.
The pilots believe the structure breaks with the entire Scandinavian labor market model. Negotiations between SAS Pilot Group – which is an association of the pilot associations in the three countries – and SAS broke down at the end of March.
Source: NTB
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– The insurance does not cover cancellations due to strikes, says communications director of IF Andreas Handeland to TV 2.
– Must give you a new product
However, there are several reasons for this.
– First, it is the airline’s responsibility to provide you with that service. If they can not, regardless of the reason, it is they who must give you a new product – either in the form of a similar trip or the money back, Handeland explains.
– NOT COVERED: If your flight is canceled due to a strike, there is no point in calling the insurance company. Photo: Christine Skarstein Olsen / TV 2
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Another reason why insurance companies do not cover a strike is because then they had become involved in an ongoing labor dispute.
– Then we would have destroyed some of the press agent used in a strike, if we were to go in and replace and bear the costs for the airline, Handeland says.
– All hope is present
If there is a SAS strike this summer, it is the airline that is responsible for compensating the losses to customers.
– First and foremost, this is just a strike that has been announced by the pilot. There is no automaticity in the event of a strike, and all hope is present that they will agree and that the planes will go as planned, says senior legal adviser in the Consumer Council Thomas Iversen to TV 2.
– CONTACT: Many have already contacted the Consumer Council to inquire about what rights they have claimed in the event of a strike. Photo: Magnus Nøkland / TV 2
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Since the strike has only been announced at this time, it does not trigger any rights for you as a consumer for the time being.
But if the pilots do not agree with SAS on the demands they have, and the strike is a fact – you have more rights.
You are entitled to this – and you should drop this
according to The Civil Aviation Authority you are entitled to a refund of the ticket price for the part of the trip that has not taken place, or for the entire ticket if the purpose of the trip cannot be achieved due to the cancellation. Iversen is aware that the former solution is not profitable for the consumer.
– Reimbursement is rarely a good solution for people who want to go on holiday. You will certainly get the money back, but then you have to get a new ticket yourself. In the event of cancellation, you can alternatively demand to be rebooked for a new flight as soon as possible, says Iversen and adds:
– The problem is only that there are few vacant seats left, either with the planes at SAS that still fly or with competing airlines.
The Consumer Council has made a calculator where you can check what you are entitled to, if something happens to your flight. (External link, journ.anm)
– Kaos
However, you are not entitled to compensation if you are informed of the cancellation of the flight at least two weeks before the scheduled departure time, or if you are offered rerouting so that you can travel no more than two hours before the scheduled departure time, and arrive at the final destination no later than four hours after the scheduled arrival time. , according to the Civil Aviation Authority.
– OUT ON A TRIP: Tourism will be restarted after almost two years of downtime due to the pandemic. It can present problems. Photo: Frank Lervik / TV 2
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Iversen in the Consumer Council is clear that people must be prepared for more friction in tourism this summer.
– It is obvious that when you restart such a large industry, there will be a little more chaos. Now it was maybe a little more chaos than I had imagined, and I understand that people thought this was very boring, he says.
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