Travel agents are warning passengers who booked flights on various South African Airways (SAA) domestic and international routes to take steps to change their travel plans.
Two unions — the SAA Pilots Association and the National Transport Movement Pilots Forum, which represent 141 of 161 staff — kicked off an indefinite strike on Thursday after failed wage negotiations.
Customers complained on social media they only discovered their flights have been cancelled after arriving at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday morning.
The unions said despite an extended period of attempted negotiations, SAA has only dedicated a total of four-and-a-half days to substantive discussions over the past eight months.
Employees have made significant sacrifices in the past few years. They have suffered huge pay cuts, endured stagnant salaries and eroding working conditions in support of the airline during its most challenging period in recent history
— SAA Pilots Association and National Transport Movement Pilots Forum
The strike comes just before schools countrywide close on Wednesday, with large numbers of South Africans having booked flights for the December holidays.
A joint statement by the unions read: “Employees have made significant sacrifices in the past few years. They have suffered huge pay cuts, endured stagnant salaries and eroding working conditions in support of the airline during its most challenging period in recent history.
“While SAA has reported modest profits, 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.
“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 pilots initially wanted a 30% salary increase, which they have since reduced to 15.7% (plus associated benefits). SAA offered increases of 8.46% backdated to April 2024.
SAA said on Wednesday its final wage offer made in September was significantly higher than salaries in South Africa. The offer was also benchmarked against international pilot salary adjustments.
SAA recently declared a net profit of R252m for 2022/2023 for the first time since the airline went into the red a decade ago. This stands in stark contrast to the combined R23.5bn debt accumulated for the previous four years. However, the airline has still not published its financials which were due in April.
To add to furious holiday travellers’ woes, the SAA office at OR Tambo only had three consultants facing a barrage of complaints. Last week SAA was promoting Black Friday deals offering up to 45% discounts on flights from December 2.
According to Corporate Traveller, which deals mostly with the travelling arrangements of executives and big South African corporates and abroad, at least five routes are affected, including:
- Johannesburg to/from Cape Town;
- Johannesburg to/from Durban;
- Johannesburg to/from Windhoek; and
- Johannesburg to/from Mauritius.
On the flight departure roster for OR Tambo, Thursday’s SAA flights to Harare, Lusaka (Zambia), Lubumbashi (DRC), Accra (Ghana), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) were cancelled.
Flightradar 24 indicated Cobra Aviation, which also 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 only has one Boeing 737 and sources confirmed Cobra had concluded a wet lease agreement with SAA some time ago. The agreement was activated after the SAA pilots announced a deadlock in their negotiations with management about their demands on Wednesday night.
SAA has not responded to requests for comment on whether more passenger jets are being wet leased to assist.
“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.
“While the strike’s duration remains unclear, this development raises significant concerns about potential disruptions during the peak December travel season. Corporate Traveller notes partner airline operations, including code-share flights and Star Alliance partner services, will continue to operate as scheduled.”
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