– It is not so easy to be responsible for so many – and not have any good answers to give to the young people or parents. Chirsten Castberg tells news. She is one of three tour guides who are responsible for 40 young people between the ages of 13 and 16. She is also a board member and tour guide in Nedre Romerike Cheerleaders, known as NRC Tigers, which after this weekend’s European Championships in Athens secured the title of Europe’s best cheer club. NRC Tigers finished with gold, silver, bronze and a 9th place during this year’s European Championships. Photo: Private – We have a bunch of new European champions who would like to go home to their parents with their medals, says Castberg. – Minors can not travel alone On Monday, it became known that a total of around 900 pilots, from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, will be taken out on strike. The head of SAS Norway, Kjetil Håbjørg, states that 30,000 passengers will be affected daily, and that approximately 15,000 will arrive. The strike will lead to cancellations of around half of SAS’s flights. This is the conflict SAS and their pilots do not disagree on pay. The core of the conflict is the creation of two staffing companies. During the pandemic, around 560 pilots lost their jobs. At the same time, SAS established two subsidiaries. They were named SAS Link and SAS Connect. These will take over aircraft and be filled with new pilots. The SAS pilots who were laid off during the pandemic will have their jobs back. They say SAS is trying to circumvent its obligations to bring the dismissed pilots back. SAS rejects this. They believe the company relates to all agreements entered into. According to the pilot association, the pilots have agreed to savings measures that amount to 25 percent savings. In return, they will have an assurance that it is their members who get the new jobs that will be filled in SAS Link and SAS Connect. The announcement of the strike was discouraging for the NRC Tigers. A total of 130 people from the NRC Tigers traveled down to Athens. Most went home with Norwegian on Monday, while others went on holiday. Again in Greece, there are now 43 people who had SAS tickets on Monday night. Chirsten Castberg is the tour guide for NRC Tigers. She has gotten a bit of a job after the SAS strike became a fact. Photo: Private – It is one thing to book about a family. It is much worse with such a large group, especially when virtually everyone is a minor. We can not send them alone through Munich or Amsterdam. We have a responsibility to ensure that everyone gets home safely. They have booked the trip through a travel agency, which now assists them in their work of getting home. They have received signals that they may get on an Air Baltic flight to Stockholm on Tuesday, but this is far from confirmed yet. – If that solution does not work out, I do not know how to get the young people home, Castberg says. The club has fortunately arranged with the hotel in Athens that they can stay there for the next few days. – Then we will see what happens if we have to stay here longer. Stressful For now, they stay calm. They do not want young people to experience the situation as stressful. – But we adults know the responsibility. It is a burden to sit with it, even if we try to be positive. Three choices if your flight is canceled due to SAS strike In the event of a canceled flight, you have three choices, depending on the type of ticket: Cancel the ticket and get it refunded. You can request a refund at sas.no. If you ordered it through a travel agency or a tour operator, you can contact them directly for the fastest possible process. Rebooking to a flight at a later date. If you would rather change your trip to a later date, you can contact Customer Service after the strike is over. For all travel reservations made by SAS, please visit sas.no for contact information. Arrange alternative travel methods. If you have to travel, for example if you are stranded at your destination, you can arrange alternative transport on your own and apply for a refund from SAS. If we are unable to rebook you for a new flight that roughly corresponds to your original departure time you can book with another company, take a train, bus or rent a car. We then consider the difference between the cost of a new alternative transport under comparable transport conditions and your unused SAS ticket. If you choose to book a new transport, remember to cancel your ticket with SAS to get it refunded. Source: SAS Castberg was to travel on to the Aegean Sea just outside Athens after the championship. That plan has so far been put on hold. – Only the rest of the family has traveled there so far. I can not do anything until I know what the decision will be here. For example, we may have to split into three groups, since we are three tour guides. She admits that a holiday is now long awaited. – We have run around here since Wednesday with 130 athletes. In addition, I had to travel two days before the others due to the aircraft technician strike. I have been looking forward to sending them home and taking a vacation, she says with a smile. – It will be a solution Riksmekler Mats Wilhelm Ruland acknowledges that he thinks it is very sad that there has now been a labor dispute in SAS. – A lot of time and resources have been invested here, and we have worked intensively for a long period without being able to reach our goal. Obviously it’s disappointing. Everyone has had a genuine goal to solve this. It is a difficult day for everyone involved, says Ruland to news. Mediator Mats Wilhelm Ruland believes in a solution to the conflict. Photo: ksenia novikova / news The parties will nevertheless not give up for that reason. – Now we have to turn the pile over, and try to find a solution. No conflict lasts forever, and neither will this one. It will be a solution at some point – the question is only when, says Ruland. SAS’s head of communications, Tonje Sund, says that they deeply and sincerely regret that these young people are affected by the pilot strike. – A strike now in the middle of the high season hits travelers very hard. The rebooking process started immediately, and we will return with information as soon as possible, she says to news. – The colleagues work really hard to assist the customers where possible, and we have increased the staff on customer service to be able to help more, she continues.
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This weekend, the cheerleaders won gold. Now 40 young people are fly-stuck in Greece – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
