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Korean Air’s unionized pilots announce 12-day Christmas walkout
December 9th 2016
On Monday, the unionized pilots of South Korean flag carrier, Korean Air (KAL), announced a 12-day strike from December 20 to 31 after union representatives and airline management failed to reach consensus on a long-standing wages dispute. Read More »
The pilots are demanding a 37% wage increase, while the airline is offering 1.9%. KAL’s management said a 1.9% increase reflected the average incremental salary growth of general airline staff.
Korean Air chairman, Cho Yang-ho, known for his high-handed behaviour, called the pilots’ demands “laughable”. "For the last 290 days, we've met with the management to reach an agreement, but the management is just forcing the union to back down without making any changes from their original stance," the union said. "The management has been putting our members at a disadvantage and meting out penalties to the union executives."
Korean pilots earn up to 50% less than their counterparts in China, which has prompted many to migrate to the Mainland where cockpit crew is in high demand as airlines expand at breakneck speed.
In North America, KAL is significantly expanding its presence on the U.S. West Coast as part of its improved ties with SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines. The Incheon-based carrier said it is building a "massive network between the U.S. and Asia through a blossoming partnership with Delta Air Lines to ensure the airline's continued leadership in 2017 and beyond".
By June, Korean will operate 45 flights a week to the West Coast: Los Angeles (19),San Francisco (14), Seattle (7) and Las Vegas (5). It has a network of 131 cities in 46 countries on six continents.
The airline will be the first Asian operator of Bombardier’s CS300 series in 2017 and expected to accept delivery of up to seven of the regional jets next year. It has ordered 10 CS300s plus 10 options and 10 purchase rights.
