Update | Flight attendants call off China Airlines strike that left 20,000 passengers stranded
Taiwan’s main carrier cancelled 76 flights to Hong Kong, Japan and other destinations on Friday
An unprecedented strike at Taiwan’s China Airlines ended after less than 24 hours late on Friday night after the management agreed to all demands by the flight attendants union over improving their working conditions and benefits.
But at least three more flights scheduled for Saturday had already been cancelled. Union leaders pledged service would return to normal by overnight on Sunday, the island’s Central News Agency reported.
I was surprised to see so many people queuing in front of the CAL counter
The union and the management reached an agreement at around 9.30pm on Friday after about five hours of negotiation.
Triumphant union members declared victory at the site of the strike, the United Daily News reported.
The strike – the first at any airline based in Taiwan – left at least 20,000 air passengers stranded. The airline cancelled 76 flights to Hong Kong, Japan and other destinations on Friday.
Passengers had crowded around the airline’s check-in counter at the main airport in Taoyuan, demanding new bookings, and staged protests at the smaller airport in Taipei.
