Travel agents have warned passengers who booked flights on SAA domestic and international routes to change their travel plans after a strike by pilots.
The SAA Pilots Association and the National Transport Movement Pilots Forum — which represent 145 of 156 staff members — stopped work indefinitely on Thursday after failed wage negotiations.
SAA described the strike as “regrettable” and urged customers to watch its limited schedule of flights. It comes just before schools countrywide close next Wednesday, with large numbers of South Africans having booked flights for the December holidays.
Customers complained on social media that they found their flights were cancelled only after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday morning.
Adding to passengers’ woes, the SAA office at the airport had just three consultants to deal with a barrage of complaints.
Last week, SAA was promoting Black Friday deals offering discounts of as much as 45% on flights from December 2.
According to travel service Corporate Traveller, which deals mostly with executives and corporate clients locally and abroad, at least five routes are affected. They include the Johannesburg-Cape Town, Johannesburg-Durban; Johannesburg-Windhoek and Johannesburg-Mauritius routes.
Thursday’s SAA flights from OR Tambo to Harare and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Lusaka (Zambia), Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of Congo), Accra (Ghana) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) were all cancelled.
The unions say that despite an extended period of negotiations, SAA has dedicated only four-and-a-half days to substantive discussions over the past eight months.
The pilots initially demanded a 30% salary increase, which they have since reduced to 15.7% plus associated benefits. SAA offered increases of 8.46%, backdated to April.
SAA said in a statement on Wednesday its final wage offer, made in September, was significantly higher than salaries in SA. The offer was also benchmarked against international pilot salary adjustments, it added.
“Travellers booked on SAA flights should contact their travel provider or airline directly for updates, rebooking options or alternative arrangements. Airports are expected to be busier than usual as passengers seek alternatives. Travellers are advised to arrive earlier than usual and remain flexible with their plans,” Corporate Traveller said in a statement.
Concerns
“While the strike’s duration remains unclear, this development raises significant concerns about potential disruptions during the peak December travel season. Corporate Traveller notes that partner airline operations, including code-share flights and Star Alliance partner services, will continue to operate as scheduled.”
The pilots’ unions said in a joint statement that SAA had reported “modest profits [but] management has failed to prioritise the needs of its workforce regarding improved working conditions and conditions of employment or recognise their role in ensuring the airline’s operational success”.
SAA recently declared a profit of R252m for the 2022/23 financial year, the first in a decade. The airline had accumulated debt of R23.5bn debt in the preceding four years. The airline has yet to publish its financial statements for 2023/24, which were due in April.
“Employees have made significant sacrifices in the last couple of years. They have suffered huge pay cuts, endured stagnant salaries and eroding working conditions, this in support of the airline during its most challenging period in recent history,” the unions added.
“Our struggle is not for personal gain but about fairness, operational safety, and ensuring the best possible future for our airline and its passengers. The strike action will be short, effective and focused.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to minimise disruption and bring these negotiations to a fair and equitable conclusion as soon as possible. However, until such time as management becomes reasonable in meeting our demands and addressing our immediate concerns, the strike action will continue,” the unions’ statement said.
According to flight tracker Flightradar 24, Cobra Aviation, which handles most of the department of defence’s cargo flights, had been chartered to fly at least two return SAA flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town on Thursday.
Cobra has one Boeing 737 and sources confirmed it had concluded a “wet lease” agreement with SAA some time ago. The agreement — which includes maintenance, insurance, and at least one crew member with the aircraft the lessor is providing — was activated after the SAA pilots announced a deadlock with management on Wednesday night. By the time of publication, SAA had not responded to requests for comment on whether more jets are being wet-leased to deal with the strike.
Update: December 5 2024
This story includes further information on the strike.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.