Johannesburg - South African Airways (SAA) has cancelled 38
flights due to a strike by flight crew over meal allowances.
The crew want the daily allowance raised from $131 for
all three meals to $170 a day, although the crew is open to negotiation, a spokesperson
for the South African Cabin Crew Association said on 702 on Wednesday morning.
In an update on Wednesday, SAA continued to advise customers
and stakeholders that it is experiencing operational delays and flight
cancellations due to the industrial action.
It explains rhe required number of cabin crew members are
currently not available to enable SAA to operate all of its flights. The strike
action follows a notice
of industrial action by one of the labour unions representing its cabin crew
members, the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA).
SACCA noted planes cannot be in the air without cabin
crew, and it represents more than 80 percent of all crew – which will see
flights grounded.
Read also: SAA cabin crew on strike over meals
Currently 32
flights have been cancelled in total, which included 28 domestic, three regional
and one international flight, SAA says.
It notes updates
are available on its website.
It adds it will provide further updates on what options
are available to its customers. “These include combining some of the cancelled
flights to minimise the impact of the delays customers will experience as a
result of flight cancellations.”
SAA, which regrets the inconvenience, says it will ensure
that all changes are published timeously and, on the day of travel, support
will be provided to customers who may experience flight delays or cancellations
that may occur during this period.
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