Icelandair has decided not to permanently fire all of its flight attendants and replace them with pilots after reaching a last-minute deal with the cabin crew union. On Friday, the Icelandic airline made the announcement that it planned to fire all of its flight attendants without the possibility of them returning because negotiations to reach a new collective bargaining agreement had come to a standstill.
Under the original plan, Icelandair intended to fire its entire flight attendant workforce and, as of Monday, July 20, to get pilots to take over their duties in the passenger cabin. Icelandair justified the decision because on-board service is currently limited as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, so pilots would need little training.
However, pilots would have had to undergo a crash course in safety and emergency procedures and would likely have needed to obtain what is known as cabin crew certification under European aviation standards.
The Icelandair pilots had remained pretty quiet about what they thought about the plan, although the airline said they only wanted to use pilots temporarily while finding a whole new workforce of flight attendants.
However, that is no longer necessary … to the relief of everyone involved. At around 2 a.m. local time in Reykjavik on Sunday morning, Icelandair announced that it had, after all, managed to make a deal with the Cabin Crew Association. Mass layoffs are off the table and pilots will no longer become alternate flight attendants.
“Despite the failed negotiations between Icelandair and the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association (FFI), the parties have managed to resume discussions and have signed a new collective bargaining agreement that is valid until September 30, 2025,” the airline said. it’s a statement.
“The current agreement results in a further reduction in operating cost without adversely affecting the cabin crew member’s employee terms,” the statement continued. “Due to this progress, Icelandair pilots will not assume responsibility for on-board safety and the most recent cabin crew layoffs will be withdrawn.”
The deal, however, still needs to be approved by a vote of the flight attendants. Given the circumstances, and given what Icelandair was prepared to do to its workforce, the deal is likely to receive the green light. We will know for sure on July 27 when the vote ends.
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