Aer Lingus says cancelled flights to ‘remain that way’

Aer Lingus flights that have already been cancelled amid industrial action by IALPA pilots “will remain that way”, a spokesperson for the airline has confirmed.

The Irish Airline Pilots Association yesterday recommended acceptance of Labour Court proposals aimed at resolving its pay dispute with Aer Lingus.

The union is to suspend its work-to-rule at the airline while it awaits the outcome of a ballot of pilots.

It said it will hold a series of engagements with members before the ballot, which is due to open on Thursday 18 July and close on Tuesday 23 July.

However, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said this morning that “unfortunately, those flights already cancelled will remain that way”.

IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said the recommendation proposed by the Labour Court, which includes a 17.75% pay increase for pilots over a four-year period, is a “significant win” for the union.

“It’s not quite the inflation that we were discussing but we are looking at two years from now and pilots will be 19.2% better off than they were, which is some ways towards inflation,” Captain Mark Tighe said.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he said pilots had not agreed to any changes to working conditions as part of the deal.

He said he regretted any disruption that passengers had experienced but added that management could have resolved the issues long before industrial action began.

Aer Lingus said it welcomed IALPA’s recommendation of acceptance and its decision to discontinue the industrial action.

The airline yesterday announced the cancellation of a further 25 flights due to the industrial action by pilots, bringing to 573 the total number of flights grounded since the action began two weeks ago.

The Chief Executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association said today was a good day for the travel industry.

Also speaking to Morning Ireland, Claire Dunne said the ITAA was delighted that the work-to-rule had been suspended and they do not expect any more disruptions at the moment.

“We’re really optimistic and very hopeful that the pilots will accept the proposals and bring a permanent end to the dispute,” she said.

Ms Dunne said it had been a difficult few weeks for travel agents as they tried to ensure their customers were looked after.

She commended Aer Lingus for its communication and said most passengers had been accommodated in spite of the disruption.