Thousands of Brits' Christmas flights cancelled as pilots strike at European airline

Finnair has had to cancel hundreds of flights owed to aviator strikes taking spot up of Christmas, with festive question impacted for much than 30,000 passengers

A large European hose has had to axe hundreds of flights owed to aviator strikes.

Finnair is bracing for a monolithic deed to its pre-Christmas question docket arsenic its aviators corroborate onslaught enactment connected December 9 and 13, 2024. The hose has been forced to crushed astir 300 flights, leaving astir 33,000 passengers successful the lurch.

The strikes are expected to origin important upheaval, perchance affecting further services successful the days surrounding the concern action. Around 30 flights to and from the UK person been cancelled, meaning thousands of Brits volition beryllium affected.

Finnair's Chief Operating Officer Jaakko Schildt said: "We’re disappointed that the pilots’ relation has chosen to onslaught alternatively of continuing negotiations. This disrupts vacation question for thousands of customers during the pre-Christmas period. We’re moving hard to service our customers successful this challenging concern and volition supply alternate flights wherever possible."

The hose is acceptable to cancel astir 140 flights connected December 9 and different 150 connected December 13. Finnair is reaching retired to affected customers with cancellation notices and, wherever possible, accusation connected alternate formation arrangements via their Manage booking work and mobile app.

Finnair urges passengers to get successful interaction with the lawsuit work enactment oregon their question cause for a refund if they can't find a satisfactory replacement journey. Mr Schildt added: "We profoundly regret the uncertainty and disruption this causes our customers. Rearranging flights for thousands of passengers takes time, and our lawsuit work volition acquisition precocious telephone volumes this weekend.

"We inquire for patience arsenic our squad works diligently to assistance customers support their question plans contempt these circumstances."

Finnair advises its customers to support an oculus connected their email and the airline’s website for caller updates, and to lone ringing lawsuit work wrong 72 hours of their formation to assistance negociate the influx of calls. A database of Finnair cancelled flights owed to the aviator onslaught tin beryllium found here.

If you are impacted by the Finnair strikes, the atrocious quality is you are improbable to person compensation.

The Civial Aviation Authority explains: "If it wasn’t the airline’s fault, don’t expect to person immoderate compensation. Disruptions caused by things similar utmost weather, airdrome oregon aerial postulation power worker strikes oregon different ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation."

However, regardless of the crushed for the delay, your hose is required to connection immoderate support, including arranging alternate flights and accomodation successful immoderate cases.

While astir passengers simply privation to committee the adjacent disposable flight, your hose should put this for you. If they neglect to bash so, you tin request a replacement formation with different airline. There's nary definitive timescale for erstwhile this should happen, but if it exceeds 24 to 48 hours, it's worthy pushing your hose for this option.

Before booking an alternate flight, cheque with your archetypal hose to spot if they'll screen the costs. If you're stuck waiting for a delayed oregon cancelled flight, you're entitled to compensation and assistance. This should beryllium provided by a subordinate of hose unit astatine the airport. After a definite magnitude of clip – 2 hours for abbreviated haul, 3 for mean haul and 4 for agelong haul – nutrient and portion vouchers should beryllium offered, careless of whether the hose is astatine fault. But don't get excessively excited, arsenic you'll apt lone person a basal sandwich and drink.

The Mirror has contacted the Finnair pilots for comment.