Iceland Electrical Technician strike upcoming?

[CruiseMGM]

I just posted this info to my roll call and thought maybe I should also post it here, first thread ever.......

 

http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/0...strike-iceland

 

Well, I'm fairly panicked. We fly to Iceland on 6/11, then on to Copenhagen on 6/14, and our Baltic cruise departs from Copenhagen on 6/17.

 

Just off the phone with Iceland Air, they said basically they don't have any further information, keep watching the website and they'll let their passengers know if flights have to be canceled. Not very helpful at this point, I'm afraid.

 

I looked on Expedia, we could book something directly to CPH, bypassing Iceland, on 6/13, but don't know if our return flights would be "valid" if we didn't use the outbound. A one-way to CPH is awfully expensive, would we be better off buying a round trip (even more expensive, but bypassing Iceland) and eating the cost of the tickets we originally bought? Do we just sit tight and wait?

 

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, or (LOL) prayers for us? Thanks in advance.

[Zach1213]

I just posted this info to my roll call and thought maybe I should also post it here, first thread ever.......

 

http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/0...strike-iceland

 

Well, I'm fairly panicked. We fly to Iceland on 6/11, then on to Copenhagen on 6/14, and our Baltic cruise departs from Copenhagen on 6/17.

 

Just off the phone with Iceland Air, they said basically they don't have any further information, keep watching the website and they'll let their passengers know if flights have to be canceled. Not very helpful at this point, I'm afraid.

 

I looked on Expedia, we could book something directly to CPH, bypassing Iceland, on 6/13, but don't know if our return flights would be "valid" if we didn't use the outbound. A one-way to CPH is awfully expensive, would we be better off buying a round trip (even more expensive, but bypassing Iceland) and eating the cost of the tickets we originally bought? Do we just sit tight and wait?

 

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, or (LOL) prayers for us? Thanks in advance.

 

First I am hearing of this and the link didn't work for me, so I cannot advise anything other than the following: if you don't show up for your outbound flight, your return flight is cancelled automatically.

[CruiseMGM]

First I am hearing of this and the link didn't work for me, so I cannot advise anything other than the following: if you don't show up for your outbound flight, your return flight is cancelled automatically.

 

Thank you for your comments, I appreciate it.

 

FYI, here's what the article said, from Iceland Review Online (bolding done by me):

 

"Members of Rafís, the union for electricians and electronics engineers in Iceland, are planning a six day strike as of midnight tomorrow unless new wage agreements can be reached with Business Iceland (SA), the confederation of Icelandic employers, before then.

 

“We are prepared to discuss a solution to our demands if our negotiation partner is prepared to do the same,” commented Rafís chair Kristján Þórður Snæbjarnarson on Morgunútgáfan, a RÚV radio program, this morning.

 

Talks were dismissed on Saturday. “There was little interest in further negotiations. There appears to be little understanding of what the situation is really like here in this country,” Kristján added.

 

The strike could be wide-reaching, affecting computer services, banking, telecommunication, as well as the operations of large-scale industries and airlines.

 

The live broadcast from the match between the Icelandic national team in men’s football and the Czech Republic in the Euro qualifiers on Friday may even have to be canceled.

 

Two other associations are also planning a six-day strike as of midnight tomorrow: Matvís, the union for those working in catering and the food industry, and VM, the Icelandic Union of Marine Engineers and Metal Technicians.

 

If all three unions will go ahead with the planned strikes, 6,000 industrial workers will be affected, resulting in restaurants closing, among other consequences, Vísir reports.

 

The wage dispute between BHM, the Association of Academics, and the Nurses’ Association and the Icelandic state remains unresolved."

[kenish]

Since you can leave as late as 6/16 and still arrive in CPH for the cruise, the good news is you have a lot of "buffer" to work with. Unfortunately until an actual flight disruption is certain or actually happens, Iceland Air probably won't allow change or cancellation of the ticket.

 

Do you have trip insurance? Contact them ASAP and see what they recommend, and what action(s) to take if the flights are disrupted.

 

For additional "insurance" you can buy fully cancellable tickets to CPH. Not cheap, but if you need it at the last minute you're good....if you don't need it, simply cancel and get a refund.

[CruiseMGM]

Since you can leave as late as 6/16 and still arrive in CPH for the cruise, the good news is you have a lot of "buffer" to work with. Unfortunately until an actual flight disruption is certain or actually happens, Iceland Air probably won't allow change or cancellation of the ticket.

 

Do you have trip insurance? Contact them ASAP and see what they recommend, and what action(s) to take if the flights are disrupted.

 

For additional "insurance" you can buy fully cancellable tickets to CPH. Not cheap, but if you need it at the last minute you're good....if you don't need it, simply cancel and get a refund.

 

Thanks, Kenish! Thankfully, it looks like the strike has been postponed until later in the month, so I think we're good for now......might make flying home a little interesting, but as long as we can get there for our cruise, I'm a happy camper!

 

http://www.ruv.is/frett/aukinn-skilningur-samtaka-atvinnulifsins

and a translation of part of the first paragraph is: "the strike has been suspended . Planned strike would start at midnight but has been postponed to June 23 "

 

Thank you so much for your comments. Best wishes!