Finnair & Flight Attendant Union Resolve Outsourcing Threat

Finnair announced in November (read more here) that the airline would outsource flight attendants on its North America and Thailand routes reducing direct employment of flight attendants by 450. The airline already uses outsourced crews on some of its other Asian routes.

Finnair flight attendants had a flash strike in November (read more here) that resulted in cancellations and delays.

You can access Finnair here.

There has been news coming out of Finland that the airline and its cabin crew union have reached an agreement that still needs to be accepted by the leadership on both sides, but this is likely a done deal.

Finnair long-haul flight attendants have agreed to lower salaries for two years, decreased overnight payments, and pay reductions on flights longer than 14 hours. Finnair, on the other hand, won’t proceed with the outsourcing.

Conclusion

It was a strategic mistake for Finnair’s cabin crew union to let outsourced flight attendants work on some Asian flights.

Anyone could have guessed what the airline’s plan would have been a few years down the road.

I am glad that they have reached an acceptable solution for both parties.