SAS says deal reached with pilots' unions, ending 15-day strike

SAS and pilots' unions have reached a wage deal, the Scandinavian airline said on Tuesday, ending a 15-day strike over a new collective bargaining agreement that had grounded 3,700 flights and thrown the carrier's future into doubt. SAS, which filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on the second day of the strike, said the industrial action had cost it more than $145 million to date and affected 380,000 passengers in the peak summer travel season.

SAS and pilots' unions have reached a wage deal, the Scandinavian airline said on Tuesday, ending a 15-day strike over a new collective bargaining agreement that had grounded 3,700 flights and thrown the carrier's future into doubt.

SAS, which filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on the second day of the strike, said the industrial action had cost it more than $145 million to date and affected 380,000 passengers in the peak summer travel season. The airline said the new 5-1/2-year deal with four pilot unions would help it achieve cost savings as set out in a business transformation plan.

"Finally, we can resume normal operations and fly our customers on their much longed-for summer holidays," SAS Chief Executive Anko van der Werff said in a statement. "I deeply regret that so many of our passengers have been impacted by this strike." Some flight disruptions will continue while the airline works to resume normal traffic, the company said. SAS added the final deal remains subject to approval by unions and a U.S. federal court, which it expects to receive within a few weeks.