Martina Jaureguy 
Updated Friday, 2 p.m.
The 24-hour airline worker strike is currently underway in Argentina. The measure is set to last until Saturday at noon and is affecting mainly Aerolíneas Argentinas flights. Other carriers, however, are also seeing delays due to the fact that workers operating the runway have also joined the protest.
All Aerolíneas Argentinas flights scheduled between Friday and Saturday at noon have been canceled. The flag carrier released a statement calling the measure “abusive and out of context,” saying that 319 flights have been canceled and 37,000 passengers have been affected by the protest.
A source from the flag carrier told the Herald that the company has been working to notify passengers about the strike so they can reschedule their flights. Passengers who have their flights canceled because of the protest will be able to reschedule them free of charge. They will have to do it via the purchase option they used — either at the airline’s website or a travel agency.
To reschedule the flight via Aerolíneas Argentinas’ website, passengers will have to enter their reservation code at the “My reservation” option. Then, click “change options” from the menu and choose a new flight from the offered options. The last step is to confirm the selected choice. Passengers will receive their new itinerary via email under the same reservation code.
Given that aviation unions are divided by company and not by line of work, the strike was expected to only affect Aerolíneas Argentinas flights. However, the situation has escalated because employees from cargo company Intercargo — which provide ramp operation services for most airlines in Argentina — decide to join in solidarity.
Low-cost carrier JetSMART has announced that 14 of their flights are experiencing delays due to the protest. So far, none of them have been canceled. Passengers can check their flight status here or call +54 11 2206 7799. Those traveling with Flybondi can do the same on their website.
The harsh dispute between airline workers unions and the government
Unions grouping Aerolíneas Argentinas pilots and flight attendants announced the strike on Wednesday after having a joint assembly with cargo and administrative workers unions from the same company. The strike is being carried out by members of the Airline Pilots Association (APLA, for its Spanish initials) and the Argentine Association of Crew Members (AAA).
Tensions between the unions and the company have increased even more in the last few hours following an announcement that three pilots were fired after refusing to command a flight on the grounds that doing that would go against union protests. APLA released a statement calling the incident “very serious,” saying that it was intended to “provoke, threaten, and intimidate workers” carrying out their right to protest.
“They have unleashed chaos and are irresponsibly playing a game from which there is no going back.”
Aerolíneas Argentinas employees have carried out several strikes in recent weeks, demanding pay rises according to inflation. This week, the company announced it would be filing a legal complaint against unions representing airline pilots and flight crew members for flight cancellations and delays caused by workers assemblies and strikes over the last few weeks. The flag carrier will also file charges against Pablo Biró, head of Airline Pilots Association union (APLA, for its Spanish initials), and will begin the procedure to expel him from the Aerolíneas board.
President Javier Milei has attempted to privatize the company via a massive bill he presented to Congress at the start of his administration, but has so far been unsuccessful. Lawmakers from PRO, his main ally in Congress, recently filed another bill specifically aimed at privatizing it.
Another aviation union will carry out protest measures on September 19 between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. and between 5 and 10 p.m. The protest will affect operative and administrative services at the airports.
