As part of its plan to discuss the possible outsourcing of in-flight service on operations between Europe, North America and Asia, Finnair will begin negotiations with representatives of the company’s cabin crew next week. If the measure becomes effective, it could be implemented by the end of 2023.
The plan is part of the Finnish airline’s aim to reduce unit costs and maximise revenues. The company says that financial losses as a result of the pandemic and the closure of Russian airspace, which continues to cause problems on several of its routes between Finland and Asia, «significantly impacts» the ability to generate profits.
In this context, the possibility of reducing cabin crew personnel is not the first to be considered by the airline’s management. Finnair has already discussed possible changes to employment conditions in various sectors. On 5 October, the company started a round of negotiations with the aim of negotiating on a reorganisation of functions that could also include redundancies.
At the time, Finnair had said that around 200 jobs could be cut and that the measure would particularly affect employees in executive and managerial roles. However, the situation for cabin crew could change if the company decides to move towards outsourcing that service on intercontinental routes.
Finnair is now analysing possible improvements in scheduling efficiency, overnight stay conditions at each stopover and additional hourly pay rules on long haul services. This last condition is particularly constrained by the extension of flight times as a result of the closure of Russian airspace.
The airline currently employs around 1.750 cabin crew in Finland. If implemented, the outsourcing plan could mean a reduction of up to 450 jobs. Negotiations between the company and representatives of the flight attendants will begin on 23 November. The meetings could last at least six weeks.
«We now need a genuine will from the negotiators to find solutions that would allow us to continue inflight service with our own crew and avoid redundancies», commented Topi Manner, Finnair’s CEO. «Discussion on alternative solutions is a vitally important part of the change negotiations process», he added.
See also: Hit by Russian airspace closure, Finnair unveils new profitability strategy
