Finnair Cancels 300 Flights Due to Pilot Strike

DALLAS — Finnair (AY) warns that the Finnish Air Line Pilots' Association has announced a strike taking place on December 9-13, 2024.

Finnair’s pilot strike will cancel about 300 flights during the strike days and some before and after. The strike will also affect about 33,000 Finnair customers.  

Specifically, the airline says it will need to cancel around 140 flights from December 9 and 150 flights from December 13. Customers will get information about cancellations as soon as they’re made, and if possible, a new routing, visible in Finnair’s Manage booking service and mobile app.  

The airline says that due to the high number of customers to reroute, it can’t offer everyone a close-to-original route. If a new flight isn’t found, customers can apply for a refund from Finnair Customer Service or the travel agency if the ticket was purchased through one.

Comments from Finnair's COO

"It is disappointing that the Finnish Air Line Pilots' Association has chosen to strike rather than negotiate. This unfortunately disrupts the travel plans of thousands of our customers during the pre-Christmas season. We are doing everything we can to serve our customers well even in this difficult situation and will offer alternative flights to as many customers as possible," says Finnair's Chief Operating Officer Jaakko Schildt.

Schildt adds, "We are extremely sorry for the worry and inconvenience this situation causes our customers. Finding suitable new flights for thousands of customers takes time, and our customer service will be congested during the weekend, so we ask our customers to be patient. We are all doing our utmost to make it possible for our customers to carry out their travel plans despite this unfortunate situation."

Detailed instructions for customers are available in the Travel updates section of Finnair.com.