– If they want our customers to continue to like them, there must be a change, says Apollo’s communications manager Sandra Miller Kinge to Dagens Industri. The pressure is increasing on SAS. The travel giant Apollo, which still has thousands of stranded travelers left abroad, demands that the parties reach a long-term solution – otherwise they threaten to withdraw from the cooperation. – SAS has been the customers’ favorite for a long time, and we really hope that they can come up with a long-term plan so that we can continue to work successfully together, Kinge tells the newspaper. She believes both parties themselves must realize that this has not “been good for anyone”. – Now you have to find a long-term, sustainable way to talk to each other within the company. It is extremely important. The travel agency Apollo had 25,000 customers in Scandinavia who were affected by the strike in SAS this weekend. In Denmark, the tour operator announces claims for compensation against SAS after countless delays and cancellations due to the pilot strike this summer, reports NTB. The amount of compensation will probably be high, as it is Apollo’s high season and strike-resistant travelers need board and lodging, says sales director at Apollo Denmark, Glenn Bisgaard. 40 per cent of the trips are with SAS As recently as March this year, Apollo in Denmark entered into a three-year contract with SAS for charter flights to an annual value of DKK 700 million. About 40 percent of their trips this summer are with SAS flights. When the SAS pilots went on strike, this meant that several of Apollo’s customers did not return home from holiday, or were not allowed to travel at all. Beatriz Rivera, Head of Communications at Apollo in Norway, says that they have not yet taken a position on the financial aspect, but that they will sit down with SAS to discuss this later. Beatriz Rivera and Apollo Norway. Photo: Johnny Syversen / Apollo – Always optimistic The parties, SAS and the pilots, have been far from a solution since 900 pilots went on strike ten days ago. In an attempt to find a solution, the SAS management and the unions returned to the negotiating table in Stockholm on Wednesday morning. – I’m always optimistic. You have to be in this job, said mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland on his way to Monday’s meetings. Ombudsman Mats Wilhelm Ruland before Monday’s meetings in Stockholm. Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB The strike has led to 1,493 flights to and from Norway being canceled, and 158 of them are today. It shows figures from Avinor’s website, writes NTB. – We are solution-oriented as always, but have already gone extremely far, said leader of the Norwegian SAS pilots’ association, Roger Klokset, to news before today’s meeting. – The solution is there if they want to end the strike.
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Apollo threatens to break off cooperation with SAS if the strike does not end – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
