Airline labor unions often have debates so convoluted that we tend to find them just aggravatingly myopic and selfish, but then it goes to another level.
The newest example is what happened in Argentina over the weekend, where Buenos Aires was effectively shut down because two douchebag Aerolineas Argentinas pilots from two different unions got into a fist fight with each other. Instead of saying something like "yeah, our pilots probably shouldn't have done that," their respective unions threw temper tantrums and went on strike to protect them.
The result: the airline had to be shut down. Argentina's chief domestic airport, Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, had to be closed. The country's top international airport, Ezeiza International Airport, tried to handle the overload, and more or less failed. Tens of thousands of travelers saw their flights moved or canceled. Hundreds of thousands saw their travel weekend become a disaster. ]]>
While we dawdle around in the US, asking if the airlines would please, maybe, hopefully sorta respect us, passengers in Buenos Aires are letting Aerolineas Argentinas know exactly how they feel. As labor conflicts wear on, delays and cancellations have stranded passengers expressing their feelings by smashing computers and offices while hurling soda cans at weary airline employees.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded at Ministro Pistarini International since Friday when the trouble started. Some news reports blame baggage handlers and pilots for the flight cancellations, though the pilots union says it's members are ready to fly. Passengers suspect that Aerolineas Argentinas is overbooking flights.
It'll take at least another epic summer of delays in the States before we see this kind of rioting at JFK--though it might be the kind of drastic action we need to get our airlines working again. ¡Viva la revolución!
Related Stories:
· Stranded Travelers Riot at Argentine Airport [Gadling]
· Argentine Flight Delays Spark Passenger Violence [Reuters]
· Airport Hell coverage [Jaunted]]]>