South African Airways has threatened legal action over union claims that its operations are unsafe, as the airline works to reinstate flights canceled when cabin crews and technicians went on strike. An ongoing pay dispute with the carrier prompted SACCA and NUMSA to go on strike Nov 15, forcing SAA to ground most of its flights. The airline has since reinstated long-haul services, with several African regional routes scheduled to resume Nov 19, leading to union allegations of unsafe operations. SACCA and NUMSA did not immediately reply to requests for comment, but online video shows a NUMSA spokeswoman saying SAA is putting lives at risk by operating with inexperienced safety officers and temporary technicians. SAA acting CE Zuks Ramasia described the union claims as “malicious”. <br/>
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Labour unions are threatening to bring air travel in South Africa to a standstill as they test the govt’s resolve to stabilise the loss-making national carrier. Two labour unions representing more than 3,000 workers at South African Airways have been on strike since Nov 15 after the airline rejected their demand for 8% raises and announced plans to cut 944 posts, forcing the cancellation of most flights. Now the National Union of Metalworkers is engaging its members at other airlines and companies that service the industry on whether they should stage sympathy strikes. The govt’s approach to ending the standoff could indicate how president Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration will tackle the thorny issue of reducing bloated wage bills at other state-owned companies. <br/>
Air NZ is cancelling dozens of international flights in and out of Australia due to ongoing problems affecting Boeing Dreamliner with Rolls-Royce engines globally. Monday, the airline said it would suspend its twice-weekly seasonal Christchurch-Perth service, resulting in the cancellation of 62 flights. It will also cancel its second daily Auckland-Perth service from Dec 10 until Jan 5, 2020, the airline said. Auckland-Sydney services and Auckland-Tonga services have also been cancelled. An Air NZ spokesman said about 14,000 customers will be impacted by cancellations. The spokesman said that while the airline never expected to still be facing issues with its Rolls-Royce engines, it was well placed to operate with the least impact to customers. <br/>
SAS announced Monday it was reducing the number of flights to Hong Kong, as tourists shun the former British colony currently in the throes of nearly 6 months of pro-democracy protests. The carrier said it was decreasing its 5 weekly flights from Copenhagen to 4 "due to a drop in demand in November," a spokeswoman said. "We are continuing to monitor the situation," SAS said, adding that the airline plans to resume the regular number of flights during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Finnair indicated that it will maintain its 2 daily flights between Helsinki and Hong Kong. "We continue with 2 daily flights between Helsinki and Hong Kong, and at the moment we have no plans in reducing capacity," a Finnair spokesman said. <br/>
United Airlines has protested plans for a PAL Express codeshare with Philippine Airlines on scheduled flights between Manila and Guam, according to a document published by the US DoT Monday. The request for a codeshare was submitted to the DoT Nov 6 by Air Philippines Corporation. PAL Express requested code-sharing approval for the flights from March 5, 2020. The company claims the codeshare is in the public interest and will promote travel and tourism to the island. “While United is not opposed in principle to APC’s requested authority, United objects to the application to the extent it seeks benefits that are currently being denied to United and its customer base,” UA writes in the filing. UA currently operates 1 daily direct flight between Guam and the Philippine capital, and would like to add another daily connection. <br/>