SAA has announced that the strike by the SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) will go ahead today, December 5.

This comes after a wage dispute between SAA and SAAPA, with the latter demanding a 30% pay increase. SAA only offered an 8,46% pay increase.

In response to this situation, the following travel advisory has been issued for trade partners and customers.

“Customers booked to fly on our services on the affected day will be re-accommodated to the next available flights operated by SAA. We urge our trade partners to manage their booking queues and communicate these changes to our valued customers accordingly,” SAA said in a press release.

If passengers do not want to be re-accommodated to the next available flight, the agent may select another suitable date in the same cabin class on SAA's services.

Agents are urged to communicate accordingly with affected passengers, as their contact details might not be reflected in the booking but rather in the agent's details, SAA advised.

Flight Centre has highlighted that while the duration of the strike remains unclear, this development raises significant concerns about potential disruptions during the peak December travel season.

“Flight Centre notes that partner airline operations, including codeshare flights and Star Alliance partner services, will continue to operate as scheduled,” said Euan McNeil, Flight Centre South Africa MD.

Impacted flights

The strike will affect all SAA-operated flights on major domestic and regional routes, including:

• Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Cape Town (CPT)
• Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Durban (DUR)
• Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Gqeberha (PLZ)
• Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Windhoek (WDH)
• Johannesburg (JNB) to/from Mauritius (MRU)

Airports are expected to be busier than usual as passengers seek alternatives, and travellers are advised to allow plenty of time and remain flexible with their plans, Flight Centre said.