A planned strike by hundreds of SAS cabin crew in Norway has been called off at the eleventh hour after the airline and union representatives reached a new wage settlement, avoiding potentially significant disruption across the Scandinavian carrier’s network this weekend.
UPDATED – August 7, 2026: This article has been substantially updated following confirmation that the planned cabin crew strike has been called off.
Hundreds of SAS cabin crew in Norway will no longer walk out on Saturday, August 8, after a new agreement was reached in the long-running dispute over pay and working conditions.
The breakthrough was confirmed on Friday by Fellesforbundet, the union representing around 468 Norwegian-based SAS flight attendants who had been preparing to begin industrial action.
The new wage settlement means the planned weekend strike has now been called off, removing the immediate threat of widespread disruption to SAS passengers during the busy summer travel period.
However, the dispute is not quite over. The latest agreement must still be put to Fellesforbundet members in another vote. Should a majority reject the revised settlement, the union has warned that strike action could still take place at a later date.
Details of what has changed in the latest offer have not yet been publicly disclosed.
Cabin Crew Rejected The Original Deal
The dramatic turnaround comes just days after SAS appeared to be heading towards another confrontation with its Norwegian cabin crew.
The dispute stretches back to negotiations earlier this summer over a new collective agreement covering pay and working conditions.
After more than 15 hours of negotiations beyond the original deadline in June, Fellesforbundet, fellow cabin crew union Parat and employer organisation NHO Luftfart reached an initial settlement with SAS.
That proposal included a general wage increase of NOK9 per hour, while the flight allowance would change from a fixed monetary amount to a percentage-based payment worth 9.5% of basic salary. Purser supplements for crew promoted after 2012 were also set to increase significantly.
The agreement also introduced a new workload protection model designed to tackle some of the pressures associated with cabin crew rostering. Employees would accumulate points depending on the severity of particularly demanding working patterns, with the system intended to prevent individual crew members from being subjected to excessive workloads.
Fellesforbundet’s negotiating team recommended that members accept the agreement. But the cabin crew themselves were not convinced.
Members subsequently voted down the settlement, reopening the dispute and triggering plans for industrial action from Saturday, August 8.
Around 468 Fellesforbundet members had been expected to walk out, while Parat had also confirmed that its members had rejected the proposed settlement and could announce industrial action at short notice.
Fellesforbundet argued that SAS cabin crew salaries had failed to keep pace with wider wage growth in Norway, despite improvements in the airline’s financial position.
Strike Threat Lifted
Further talks followed in an attempt to prevent the industrial action, culminating in the revised wage settlement announced on Friday.
Fellesforbundet has now withdrawn its plans for Saturday’s walkout while the latest proposal is put before members.
In August 2024, Norwegian SAS cabin crew staged a four-day strike after negotiations over pay and working conditions broke down. The dispute ended with crew securing a package that included a wage increase of around 7.5%, additional time off and improved meal breaks.
More recently, London Heathrow-based SAS cabin crew carried out a four-day strike in December 2025 amid a separate dispute over pay and working conditions. That dispute was successfully resolved in January 2026, when workers represented by Unite secured improved pay and changes to scheduling arrangements.
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