More than 35,000 passengers are affected by the force measure
carried out since midnight by the aeronautical unions that provide ramp services and which forced airlines to
cancel around 400 services throughout the country.
Only the low cost
Flybondi
operates from the Ezeiza international airport, as it has its own assistance on the runway,
like the American Airlines company.
For its part, Aerolíneas Argentinas reported that it canceled 331 flights today as a result of the forceful measure adopted by three of the union organizations that represent the company's workers.
The unions APA (Aeronautical Personnel Association - ramp and runway), APLA (Airline Pilots Association) and UPSA (Union of Senior and Professional Personnel of Aerocommercial Companies) adopted this measure after
rejecting the company's salary offer in the framework of joint negotiation.
Around 10,000 passengers made voluntary changes in recent days to avoid the strike, which resulted in 305 domestic flights, 24 regional and 2 international flights being modified.
The company estimated that the cost of the force measure on the company's operating results will be around $2 million.
"We deeply regret the inconvenience that this measure causes to our passengers. We will continue working to offer a quality service, keeping operational safety as the main priority," Aerolíneas said in a statement.
Jet Smart was affected by the measure
They also asked passengers
"not to go to the airports or branches today
, since there will be no in-person assistance from airline personnel. It is suggested to those who had flights scheduled during this day to pay attention to the notifications in the email address that you have provided as a contact in your reservation. If you have made your purchase at a tourism agency, it is advisable to consult that way."
Finally, they recommended "using the self-management channels in the Aerolíneas Argentinas application or via the web"
For its part, the 'low cost' JetSmart warned in a statement that, "due to the union measures announced as of midnight this Wednesday, February 28, the airline has been forced to cancel all of its flights. "flights scheduled for today, affecting 8,300 passengers."
"These measures prevent our employees and suppliers, in charge of providing ramp services (transfer of passengers and their luggage between the boarding area and the planes), among other activities in all airports in the country, from carrying out their functions," he adds.
"We regret these circumstances completely beyond the control of the company and we ask passengers to reschedule their flights at www.JetSMART.com or to contact the customer service call center by dialing 11 2206 7799," the document concludes.
In turn,
Flybondi operates a high percentage of its services from the Ezeiza International Airport
, because it has its own ramp service at the Ezeiza airport and at some air stations in the interior of the country.
The company reported that it moved its entire operation to the Ezeiza International Airport due to the strike announced by some aeronautical unions that, among other services, affect the provision of handling services (ground assistance to planes and passengers).
"Given that the low cost has its own service in 80% of the airports in which it operates, it can maintain activity during the day. However, in other airports such as Aeroparque this activity is provided by the company Intercargo. As a result Due to this, Flybondi had to make operational adjustments such as airport changes, rescheduling and the cancellation of 6 flights," the company said in a statement.
Flybondi moved operations to Ezeiza
He added that "passengers affected by these modifications, whose flights have been canceled or rescheduled more than 4 hours apart from their original schedule, will be able to change the date of their flight at no additional cost through 0810 - 555 - 3592 (Monday to Sundays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) to travel within the next 30 days.
The international company American Airlines also
operates normally
, which has its own assistance service, so scheduled flights to and from the United States remain at their usual schedules.
The union conflict broke out last week, when Aerolíneas Argentinas and Intercargo
proposed a 12% increase proposal that was considered insufficient
by three unions that bring together the staff of different airlines.
The representatives of the Association of Air Line Pilots (APLA), the Association of Aeronautical Personnel (APA) and the Union of Senior Personnel of Aerocommercial Companies (UPSA) demand a salary recomposition that beats inflation, and try to negotiate an increase of at least 70 percent.
Yesterday, after intense negotiations, which at first seemed to be heading towards an agreement, the unions finally ratified the strike and held the Government responsible for the situation.
"More than 340 flights canceled by @Aerolineas_AR and foreign companies due to the Aeronautical Strike that APA @UPSA_Oficial and @aplapilotos were forced to do due to the refusal of the Minister of @Economia_Ar to dialogue to achieve parity in accordance with the country's inflation," they published on your official X account.