Tokyo: Cancellations of domestic flights of Jetstar Japan continued Saturday after the budget airline’s negotiations the previous day with its labor union aimed at avoiding a strike broke down.

Jetstar has decided to cancel a total of eight flights on four routes Saturday, including one between Narita International Airport near Tokyo and New Chitose Airport in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, after canceling 17 flights on seven routes Friday.

With the labor strike spreading, the airline is finding it difficult to secure enough crew members during the busy year-end travel season.

The labor union started the strike Dec. 22 as its talks with the management side over unpaid wages ended in failure. The walkout is slated to continue until Jan. 7.

In Friday’s negotiations, the two sides remained apart on the handling of the unpaid wages and were unable to agree on avoiding the strike for Saturday.

“Most union members are hoping to limit the strike,” a senior labor union member said in an online press conference Friday, suggesting that the union may consider scaling down the strike before the return rush starts soon after the turn of the year

The airline is asking passengers affected by the flight cancellations to switch to substitute flights or receive refunds.

The strike is expected to affect about 1,400 passengers on Saturday after hitting some 2,600 on Friday. Jetstar’s international flights are not being affected by the labor strike.

JIJI Press