DALLAS - In a week when many companies in Belgium expect their employees to walk to picket lines in response to rising living costs, crews at Brussels Airlines (SN) have chosen to do the same.

Passengers scheduled to fly with the airline on June 23, 24, and 25 are advised to monitor the status of their flight in case of disruption.

A statement issued by the airline stated that it was hoping to operate a total of 525 fights over the three-day period. However, it issued a veiled warning by highlighting that: ”We do not yet know how many of those will be cancelled, as this depends on the participation rate of the crews in the strike action."

Recent talks between the airline and cockpit and cabin crew unions appear to have broken down, leading to the planned strike.

Labor Agreements

To address falling passenger demand and spiraling losses during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, revised collective labor agreements (CLAs) were signed. The airline has defended its stance by stating that because it was in the red during Q1 2022, it is unable to "reverse or reopen the current CLAs."

On top of these woes, travelers due to travel from Brussels Airport (BRU) today are unlikely to even make it past the security checkpoint, since staff from security provider G4S are also set to strike.

According to reports from local media, there will be no departures from the Belgian airport today. G4S employees are joining staff from numerous other transportation providers across the country in protesting at what they see as an inadequate response to the rapidly rising cost of living.

This is a developing story.

Featured image: Brussels Airlines OO-SNC Airbus A320-200 (Magritte Livery). Photo: Tony Bordelais/Airways