SAS pilots sounded the alarm that they will put up a fight if SAS chooses to move planes and crews to other countries where operations are cheaper.
SAS chief, Ricard Gustafson, is keeping all options open in his efforts to make the Scandinavian airline profitable and competitive.
That may mean following competitors like Norwegian and Ryanair, establishing headquarters in low-cost countries.
‘We see what the competition is doing and we must adapt accordingly. It is naive to believe that we should never turn around some traffic flows, so some routes are flown only from airports abroad and towards Scandinavia’, said Gustafson.
The idea does not sit well with the company’s pilots, reported the newspaper, Dagens Næringsliv.
‘We do not think the way to go is to ape everything that Norwegian does’, said Jens Lippestad, the head of the Norwegian SAS pilots’ union (Norske SAS-flygeres forening).
As the newspaper understands it, the union is willing to discuss some adjustments, including to holiday destinations in southern Europe.
But there is no question that they will agree to large parts of the business disappearing overseas.
‘This will be a part of this spring’s collective bargaining. Forcing this through without consensus among the union membership will not succeed’, said Lippestad.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
