Icelandair has reversed its decision and will not fire its flight attendants. The decision came after the airline managed to sign a last-minute deal with the cabin crew union.
On 17th July, Icelandair announced that it had plans to fire all of its flight attendants as negotiations for a new collective agreement stalled. As a workaround, the airline intended to have the pilots take over the duties in the passenger cabin. The airline explained its decision based on the fact that on-board service is, in any case, for the time being limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In that scenario, pilots would have needed to take a course in safety and emergency procedures. They would also need to obtain a cabin crew certificate under European aviation rules. The airline explained that this would only be a temporary solution until they were able to find another collective partner in the labor market.
On 20th July, Icelandair announced that it had reached an agreement with the Cabin Crew Association. The intended plan to lay off the whole cabin crew staff has been averted.
“Despite the failure of negotiations between Icelandair and the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association (FFI), the parties managed to resume discussions and signed a new collective agreement which is valid until September 30th, 2025”, the airline announced in a press release. “The current agreement results in a further reduction in operating costs without adversely affecting the working conditions of cabin crew members.”
The deal needs to be approved by a vote from the flight attendants, but it is expected to give positive results.
