Picture supply, Getty Photos
Aer Lingus has confirmed an extra 122 flights have been cancelled till July 7 because of the ongoing pilot strike.
The airline has now cancelled almost 400 flights because of the unspecified working guidelines and pilots’ strike.
Working inside the guidelines means not working time beyond regulation or performing some other duties outdoors of working hours.
An eight-hour strike is scheduled for Saturday from 05:00 to 13:00 native time.
Aer Lingus mentioned that because of the “indefinite nature” of the strike organized by the Irish Airline Pilots Affiliation it might be “pressured to cancel” further flights till July 7.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that the advice for an extra strike was made by IALPA on Thursday.
Nonetheless, Captain Mark Teague, the union’s president, mentioned on Friday afternoon that the Irish Labor Court docket had invited either side of the dispute to return to it on Monday afternoon.
“We’re discussing that and that may in fact have a bearing on whether or not we step up industrial motion or not,” he instructed Radio Ulster’s Night Further programme.
“I hope now they’ve seen the seriousness of the scenario and might apply their appreciable expertise.”
Schoolchildren ‘sleeping on the ground’
The flight residence for a gaggle of scholars and academics from Shimna Built-in Faculty in County Down who had been coming back from a visit to Berlin was cancelled whereas they had been on the airport.
Trainer Luke McWaters mentioned their 21:45 flight on Thursday initially confirmed up as delayed, and greater than two hours after the flight was initially scheduled to take off, they had been instructed it had been cancelled.
“Whereas making an attempt to contact Aer Lingus, I made three totally different calls to a few totally different brokers, and every time I obtained to a selected route they mentioned to me: ‘As a result of you’re a group, we won’t do something for you – you need to name the Aer Lingus group which isn’t opening. Its doorways are earlier than 9 o’clock within the morning.
Mr McWaters instructed the BBC’s Night Further programme he felt they’d been “left within the lurch”, with no supply of lodging or meals.
Picture supply, Luke McWaters
He mentioned the group was sleeping on the airport flooring.
Mr McWaters mentioned they had been provided another flight on July 1.
“At that time we made the decision to attempt different airways and break up ourselves up as a gaggle,” he added.
Half the group travelled to Edinburgh, whereas the opposite half took a flight to Poland, with each teams reserving their return flights to Eire on Friday.
McWaters mentioned the help supplied by Aer Lingus was “far lower than you’d count on from a significant airline coping with youngsters”.
The BBC has contacted Aer Lingus for a response.
“demanding cheap wages”
“Passengers are very pricey to us as pilots,” mentioned Captain Tighe. “Administration doesn’t meet you, we meet you every single day.
“We’re able the place our wages are eroding and all we need to do is preserve our wages.”
IALPA was calling for a 24% improve in member salaries.
The 24% improve is “an accumulative determine for inflation from 2019, which was our final pay improve,” Captain Teague mentioned.
He additionally mentioned the union wouldn’t settle for something lower than inflation.
Extra strike?
The Affiliation of Skilled Footballers’ Affiliation (IALPA) has really useful to commerce union Forsa that the extra strike motion needs to be longer than the motion deliberate for Saturday, RTÉ reported.
If sanctions are imposed, Forsa must notify Aer Lingus seven days earlier than pilots are allowed to cease working.
Aer Lingus described the potential of one other strike as “wholly inappropriate in mild of the employment tribunal’s request this week to not escalate the dispute”.
Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus’ chief company affairs officer, mentioned the airline was “ready to return to the employment tribunal on the premise of a proper joint referral”.
He mentioned Aer Lingus had inspired IALPA and Fórsa to “conform to the transfer”.
What number of Aer Lingus flights have been cancelled?
All Aer Lingus UK regional flights, operated by Emerald Airways, and Aer Lingus UK transatlantic flights to and from Manchester will function as scheduled.
The complete record of cancelled flights will be discovered on the airline’s web site.
How a lot do Aer Lingus pilots receives a commission?
Co-pilots can begin at round €36,000 (£30,400), with packages rising based mostly on precise flying hours.
The chief on the prime of the ladder might earn round €287,000 (£242,000), Irish Broadcasting Company (RTÉ) reported.
This might take as much as 26 years, Captain Mark Tighe defined Thursday.
There are variations for pilots relying on whether or not the flights are quick or lengthy.
What do I do if my Aer Lingus flight is cancelled?
The airline mentioned passengers booked flights as much as July 7 have various choices obtainable.
Aer Lingus will contact passengers whose flight has been cancelled instantly through SMS, e mail or by means of their journey agent to tell them of their choices.
These choices embrace altering your reserving date free of charge, making use of for a refund voucher for future journey, or receiving a full refund on your journey.
If a traveler is scheduled to journey till 7 July however their flight has not been cancelled, they will additionally change their reserving free of charge or apply for a redemption voucher for future journey.
Aer Lingus mentioned: “We perceive the frustration you’re feeling proper now. Our groups are working exhausting to reduce disruption as a lot as potential.”
