Aer Lingus has said it will cancel between 10% and 20% of its flights over the first five days of planned industrial action by pilots, which is due to begin in the middle of next week.
The airline said the cancellations between Wednesday 26 June and Sunday 30 June will be implemented over the course of the next two days.
It is understood that between 30,000 and 40,000 passengers will be impacted by the cancellations over the five days.
“Implementing these cancellations is to enable us to protect as many services as possible for as many of our customers as possible,” it said in a statement.
“The details of those cancellations will be communicated to impacted customers over the next couple of days.”
The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) served notice to Aer Lingus of an indefinite work-to-rule from next Wednesday, which will involve the pilots not working overtime or “any other out of hours duties requested by management”.
It will also involve the pilots only working the published rosters and “not accepting or working any amendments to published rosters”.
Pilots will not log into the Aer Lingus portal or ‘e-crew’ outside of work hours nor will they answer phone calls outside of work hours.
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Aer Lingus pilots, who are members of the IALPA, voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a dispute over pay.
In a statement issued this afternoon, Aer Lingus said customers impacted by the cancellations will be offered a number of choices, with those scheduled to travel between 26 June and 2 July given the option to change flights for free.
“They will also be able to cancel their flight and claim a refund or voucher,” the airline said.
“These options will be communicated directly to impacted customers as well as travel agents, while the Aer Lingus ‘Travel Advisory’ page will also have up-to-the-minute information on all the options.”
The airline added that it fully understand the anxiety being experienced by customers, given the uncertainty caused by the dispute.
“IALPA’s industrial action will have a wholly unnecessary impact on customers who are travelling in the coming weeks, at what is peak holiday season for families,” it said.
“The nature of this industrial action will cause a significant impact on our flight schedules.”
“However, our focus is on minimising the impact on customers and communicating directly with those who are affected, including, notifying them of the options that are being made available to them.”
“We will also be communicating directly with third-party agents including travel agents and online agents. Passengers who booked through a third-party should contact their sales agents for any updates.”
Meanwhile Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, has said that passengers affected by the industrial action will be contacted in the next two days.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Six One, Mr Moriarty said customers will receive an email notifying of them of how their flights have been affected.
He said those whose flights are between 26 June and 2 July will be offered a refund, the option to rebook, or to receive a voucher, “to alleviate their concerns”, he added.
Both sides need to step back from brink – Taoiseach
Earlier, the Taoiseach said it is “utterly reprehensible” that children and families “could be used as pawns in an industrial relations dispute” at Aer Lingus.
Simon Harris said both sides involved in the Aer Lingus pay dispute need to “step back from the brink”.
“Many families across the country have seen parents go out to work over the year and set aside a few bob to be able to take their kids on a family holiday,” he said.
“The idea that passengers and children due to go on their summer holiday would be used as pawns in an industrial relations dispute, that has already been considered in the Labour Court, is utterly reprehensible.”
The Government has made the industrial relations of the State available to help to resolve the dispute, Mr Harris said, as he encouraged both sides to utilise them.
Industrial action ‘cannot be underestimated’, says Sinn Féin
The impact of looming industrial action at Aer Lingus cannot be underestimated, the Dáil heard today.
Sinn Féin’s Louise O’Reilly called for a high-level intervention from Government to help resolve the dispute.
Given the seriousness of this dispute for families and the wider economy, the Government must work to get all sides around the table, she said.
The Tánaiste said thousands of workers and thousands of people looking forward to their holiday are now “facing acute anxiety”.
Micheál Martin warned that the economy and jobs would suffer if tourists cannot get into the country due to a lack of flights.
He urged both sides to act responsibly and to reengage in talks with the assistance of the Workplace Relations Commission.
Fears for tourism over planned work-to-rule
The planned work-to-rule by pilots at Aer Lingus will have a negative impact on tourism, the founder of Aer Arann warned.
Pádraig Ó Céidigh said a work-to-rule is more damaging than a strike because people do not know if they can come to the country or if they will be able to leave once they are here.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Mr Ó Céidigh said the planned action is hugely significant and worrying for regional Ireland and “it’s the last thing we need right now, right after Covid”.
He said one in every four tourists who come to Ireland are from the US and they tend to spend more time and more money here than tourists from other countries.
Tourism is the single biggest industry in rural Ireland and employs over 250,000 people, he said, and these people are totally dependent on June, July and August for their livelihoods.
Mr Ó Céidigh said the impact of the industrial action will be felt far more in rural Ireland than in Dublin, because while people fly into Dublin for a weekend, they tend to come to rural Ireland for longer lengths of time.
Additional reporting Mícheál Lehane
