Translation from http://www.dnoticias.pt/impressa/hemeroteca/diario-de-noticias/greve-na-sata-pode-afectar-quatro-voos-LJ1218926


If the SATA Internacional / Azores Airlines cabin crew strike, scheduled for 1 and 2 May, is not canceled, at least four flights from the Azorean company to Madeira and Madeira to the island of Ponta Delgada will be affected and may include Which could affect about 320 passengers (if they were at full capacity).

In a query to the SATA booking site held yesterday, the flight from Ponta Delgada, starting at 9:10 am, lasts about two hours towards Funchal, costing 178.74 euros, had only two seats available, while the Flight back to the Azores on the same day, at 12.55 p.m., with a cost of 139.89 euros, only one place was available. The second day of the possible strike, the flight leaving at 9:05 am from Ponta Delgada with a cost of 109.71 euros had only two seats available, while the return flight at 12.50 p.m. still had several places available and prices between the 78 , 89 euros and 170.89 euros, in the four tariffs of the company.

If these flights are canceled, there is always the possibility of finding a place on flights with a stopover in Lisbon or Porto, through the codeshare with TAP, but at 'prohibitive' prices for most people, above 300 euros to a little more Of 600 euros.

And this without counting on the flights that allow the passengers to go from Madeira or come from Boston (USA) and Toronto (Canada), with stopover in Ponta Delgada, at current prices of about 300 to 616 euros. Or even via Lisbon with a minimum of 647.20 euros per trip. Although international flights are not included in the notice, but without a domestic flight the passenger may not arrive in time for the international flight.

SATA is reviewing notice

The chairman of the board of air carrier SATA, Paulo Menezes, said yesterday he is analyzing the reasons that led the National Union of Civil Aviation Flight Personnel (SNPVAC) to issue a notice of strike.

"We are analyzing the reasons invoked by the union in the strike warning," he told Lusa Paulo Menezes, assuring that if the strike continues, the Azorean carrier "will do everything to minimize the impact on passengers."

Paulo Menezes said that the company "has already triggered the contingency plan to face a possible strike" and explained that SATA "still does not have a balanced financial situation, being in a process of recovery", and is also "conditioned by the Legislation, in particular the State Budget ".

On 23 March, the SATA chairman told the deputies of the Standing Committee on Economy of the Azores parliament to have finished the first round of contacts with the banks for the company's refinancing plan and that the opening of credit institutions "was good ".

Non-compliance with several points in the clauses of the company agreement, as well as some signed protocols, are the reasons pointed out by the union.

According to the notice of strike, published in the press, the stoppage covers "all flights of Azores Airlines / SATA Internacional whose hours of presentation and / or step / sector take place in the national territory between 00:00 and 23:59 of these Days "