Air New Zealand cancels long-haul services as cabin crew strike looms

Air New Zealand said on Wednesday it had cancelled 46 wide-body long-haul services ahead of a planned two-day strike by cabin crew over stalled negotiations.

The cancellations have affected 9,500 travellers, Air NZ said in a statement, adding that the domestic and regional network would operate as normal, with some cargo-only flights also scheduled.

In a separate statement, local union E tu said the airline’s cabin crew would strike on February 12 and February 13 after talks failed to resolve their concerns, urging Air New Zealand to make “a fair and realistic” offer.

“The work done by wide-body cabin crew is demanding and often misunderstood,” E tu National Secretary Rachel Mackintosh said.

“They are also shift workers whose rosters change every month. They work very irregular hours … and there is no certainty in their work patterns.”

The union said the strike will involve only wide-body aircraft workers, with cabin crew taking action on both days. Air New Zealand said it has contacted affected passengers with rebooking options or refunds.

The airline added that it has rescheduled flights and redeployed its fleet to protect most Tasman and Pacific services from cancellations.