If you're flying to or from New Zealand over Thanksgiving week, there's one date range worth circling. The Auckland Airport strike planned by its firefighters could cancel or divert flights at the country's biggest airport on Tuesday, Nov. 24 and Friday, Nov. 27. The walkouts would each last 24 hours from 6 a.m. Auckland time, which works out to noon ET on Monday, Nov. 23, and noon ET on Thanksgiving Day itself.
Auckland Airport says it needs qualified rescue and firefighting crews on site for flights to operate, and it's warning of "significant disruption to tens of thousands of travellers" if the strikes go ahead. It's working on backup plans, but it hasn't said yet which flights or airlines would be hit. That's a rough thing to read if you've spent months planning a New Zealand summer escape.
Why Firefighters Can Ground Planes
It sounds strange that a firefighter strike could stop flights, but this is one of those rules most travelers never think about. Airports have to keep trained rescue and firefighting crews on standby every time a passenger plane takes off or lands, and the bigger the plane, the bigger the crew it needs. Auckland handles everything from small domestic turboprops to the giant jets that fly in from the US, Asia and the Middle East, so without that team in place, flights simply can't legally use the airport.
That's why the airport is talking about diversions as well as cancellations. A flight that's already in the air when the crews walk off would have to land somewhere else, which for a long-haul trip from the US could mean ending up at a different New Zealand airport or waiting things out before heading on to Auckland.
Why They're Striking
The strike notice covers all 69 members of the airport's Airport Emergency Services team, who are represented by the E tū union. They voted for the action after turning down the airport's latest offer. The union says the job evaluation system used to set their pay doesn't capture how physically and mentally demanding the work is, and it's asking for pay 5.5% above the market median.
Training is the other sticking point. The airport's live-fire training facility has closed, so the crew now travels to Singapore for a five-day trip every year to meet Civil Aviation Authority rules, and that's going up to two trips a year from next year. Singapore is about a 10-hour flight from Auckland, so that's a real chunk of time away from home. The union says the team isn't being fairly paid for the time away from home. It also pointed out that Auckland Airport reported $309 million in underlying profit last year and paid out $224.9 million in dividends, both in New Zealand dollars.
The union says the dispute could be settled quickly if the airport puts a reasonable offer on the table, so there's still a real chance this gets called off before Nov. 24.
What to Do If You're Flying
Air New Zealand, United, American and Delta all fly between the US and Auckland, and Thanksgiving week is a popular time for Americans to head south for New Zealand's early summer. If your trip touches Auckland around Nov. 24 or 27, including a domestic connection, I'd keep a few things in mind:
- Check with your airline the day before. That's the airport's own advice, and it's the best way to catch a cancellation early.
- Make sure the airline can reach you. Double-check that your booking has your current phone number and email, especially if you booked through a travel agent or a booking site.
- Watch for a travel waiver. If the strikes look likely, airlines often let you change dates for free. Grabbing an earlier or later flight early beats fighting for a seat after cancellations start.
- Leave some slack. If you have a cruise, tour or tight connection right after landing, think about arriving a day early.
Strikes are hitting travel in a few places this month, including the strike and storm in Spain and Portugal. I'll keep this story updated as the dates get closer and as airlines say how they'll handle it. My hope is that both sides land a deal well before then, because nobody wants to spend Thanksgiving refreshing an airline app.
