Irish agents 'working through new list of Aer Lingus cancellations'
James ChappleIrish travel agents are already working through a number of pre-emptive flight cancellations by Aer Lingus stretching into July as the effects of a potentially "indefinite period" of industrial action ripple through the Irish travel trade.
Aer Lingus pilots embarked on the first of an initial five days planned industrial action in a dispute over pay on Wednesday (26 June) after last-ditch talks to find a compromise failed.
The Irish Airline Pilots Association (Ialpa) served notice on Aer Lingus last week after two successful ballots, which will see its Aer Lingus pilot members adhere to a strict – and indefinite – work-to-rule policy, meaning they won’t work overtime or beyond their contracted hours.
They will also strike for eight hours on Saturday (29 June) between 5am and 1pm. Only Aer Lingus pilots employed in Ireland are involved in the dispute.
It means the airline’s transatlantic schedule out of Manchester will operate unaffected, as will Aer Lingus Regional services between the UK and Ireland as these are operated by Emerald Airlines.
Talks at Dublin’s labour court on Tuesday (25 June) between Aer Lingus and Ialpa failed to reach a resolution.
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) on Tuesday said its members had worked hard over the weekend and into this week to minimise disruption for their clients and get them away on their holidays.
"The good news is that ITAA travel agents around the country have reported they have now managed to rebook, reroute or arrange refunds for the majority of their customers who were impacted by the first tranche of cancellations," said ITAA chief executive Clare Dunne.
Aer Lingus was expected to cancel between 10% to 20% of its schedule during the first five days of action, and earlier this week issued a list of more than 200 pre-emptive cancellations – around half of which are due to fall on Saturday (29 June).
As of midday on Tuesday (25 June), Aer Lingus – on Saturday alone – has cancelled 57 flights departing Irish airports, 43 departing European airports, 14 departing UK airports and one departing New York JFK.
Total cancellations during the proposed period of industrial action now stands at 270.
Dunne said the ITAA’s agent members were now working through a new list of cancellations, issued on Tuesday, for next Monday and Tuesday (1-2 July). "We are also extremely concerned regarding the cumulative effect of this dispute," Dunne continued.
"Many people only get the chance of one holiday per year and they have spent a lot of their money on it – it is hugely disappointing that their long and carefully arranged plans are now in disarray. Therefore we are asking both sides to come to a resolution on this sooner rather than later."
Talks at the labour court are expected to resume in July. In a statement issued to Irish broadcaster RTE, Aer Lingus said it was focusing on "minimising disruption caused to customers" by the action by Ialpa members, adding "it remains available for discussions".
Ialpa is seeking a more than 20% pay uplift for its Aer Lingus pilot members. A deal worth just over 9% has been rejected.
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