Nightmare end to NZ holidays as pilots strike
Stuff.co.nz says that Air New Zealand has slammed planned strike action by pilots from subsidiary Air Nelson and says it will impact heavily on school holiday travel.
The strike is for three days from tomorrow and follows lengthy, unsuccessful negotiations between the parties involving pay and conditions.
New Zealand Airline Pilots’ Association (Alpa) executive director Rick Mirkin said the pilots wanted a pay rise and changes to rostering, which currently allows only one weekend off each month.
Bruce Parton, general manager of the Air Nelson wing, said the pilots’ union didn’t appreciate the challenging commercial environment the company was operating in and the impact of skyrocketing fuel costs.
“Alpa’s claims are unsustainable and in total would cost Air Nelson more than $8 million annually,” he said.
“Their claims around time off, including weekends, would require Air Nelson to employ more than 30 additional pilots at an annual cost of more than $3.5 million.
“Other claims relating to rostering, pay and allowances would cost the company a further $4.5 million.”
Parton said acceding to the claims would put the company in the position of having to pass the costs on to customers.
“We have worked too hard to make low-cost travel accessible to customers in regional New Zealand to be forced into having to hike fares so that 160 pilots can enjoy a longer weekend,” he said.
Parton said he considered the pilots had fair working conditions, including good annual leave provisions and generous working hours.
The Nelson-based pilots were also among the city’s top wage earners, with captains earning over $97,000 annually and all having had generous pay increases over the past few years.
The strike was a direct attack on the commercial viability of a business that serviced about 50,000 people a week, Parton said.
Mirkin said the pilots were not well paid, but the sticking point was the unsatisfactory work/life balance they endured.
He said realistically pilots were often stuck at work until 11pm and had been pushing for rostering relief for a year.
A Report by The Mole from stuff.co.nz
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026