Unions will meet with Air NZ Monday to try resolve a pay dispute and avert a strike planned for the busiest day of the year. Air NZ aircraft maintenance engineers, aircraft logistics and related staff have scheduled a strike 4 days out from Christmas – on the airline's busiest travel day of the year. Air NZ said close to 42,000 customers booked to travel domestically and internationally on that date would face potential flight cancellations if it went ahead. The Aviation and Marine Engineers Association and E tū notified the airline Thursday evening of a total strike by almost a thousand unionised employees Dec 21. The unions have also advised to expect further industrial action. The airline said while the group has received pay increases annually for the past 12 years, it has so far rejected recent proposals. <br/>
star
United Airlines wound up on the wrong end of the official results in the November on-time arrivals derby. According to the numbers just released by OAG, United finished in fourth and last place among the 4 largest domestic carriers with 76.7% of flights arriving on time last month. United’s on-time arrival numbers have been trending downwards in recent months as the carrier grapples with the rather challenging fact that it has major hubs in San Francisco and Newark/New York where there is considerable air traffic congestion and frequent ground holds due to weather that can quickly wreak havoc on flight schedules. Behind the scenes United is said to be working with air traffic control in pertinent markets to help resolve the on-time issues the carrier faces. But so far nothing looks to have meaningfully improved the situation. <br/>