‘Never flying Aer Lingus again’ couple vow as refund mix-up costs them €2,500

AN American couple who are out of pocket by $2,500 after an Aer Lingus refund mess up have said they will “never fly” with the troubled airline again.

The first day of industrial action by the pilots got underway today with some 270 flights axed over the coming days.

Unions have agreed to sit down with airline chiefs in Dublin on Thursday morning in a bid to avoid the escalation of a dispute which Taoiseach Simon Harris said “is having a disproportionate impact on the travelling public”.

Among those left high and dry were fuming Brida, 73, and her husband Mike Sugaski, 72, who were on a two-week trip to Ireland from Colorado when they were notified about the ongoing work to rule.

In a panic, they contacted the airline but were told not to take action unless they received a personal email.

Now, the couple have forked over $2,500 for a different flight after receiving the email, only to be told their flight is not cancelled and they will not receive their refund.

Brida told the Irish Sun: “We were to be in Ireland for about two weeks and at about the second week into our vacation, a friend of ours here alerted us to the fact that there was going to be some trouble with the pilots.

“So I called right away to the Aer Lingus call centre, and said, ‘Can I change my flight?’

“The person said, ‘Don’t change your flight until you get a personal email from Aer Lingus, because not all flights will be affected, so until you hear a personal email from don’t do anything, just sit tight’.”

It didn’t take long for the concerned couple to receive the dreaded email which led them to believe their flight was cancelled.

Brida explained: “So five days ago, I got a personal email from Aer Lingus that talked about what was happening, they said there’s major disruptions, here are your three recourses: reschedule, but not until after July 2nd, or you can get a voucher or a refund.

“I figured the refund was the best way to go, because I could use the money to pay for another ticket.

“I frantically tried to find a flight, and found one on American Airlines, and there were very few seats left.

“So I bought the tickets.

“It is not a direct flight, it was very inconvenient, we’ve had to stay an extra day. We have to buy a hotel room for tonight.”

The couple said it was purely by chance that they found out their original flight was actually still operating, despite the warning email.

Brida told us: “I came in to the airport to get the shuttle to the hotel but I wanted to see what it says about the flight to Denver.”

They then discovered that their original Aer Lingus flight was in fact going ahead.

NO REFUND

Brida continued: “So I came in here today and the lady at the ticket counter told me that because my flight is not cancelled, they will not refund my $2,500 for just the flight home on another airline.

“That’s how much it is when you book it three days in advance, which is when I got the email.”

She added: “I got the email saying you are ‘affected’, they didn’t say ‘cancelled’.

“They said you are affected so take one of your three choices, now they’re saying no your flight is fine.”

She confessed: “Either way I’m out about $2,500.”

Brida said the confusion was what had really bothered her.

She explained: “I just feel like Aer Lingus was very unclear in their messaging to me, they should have said, these are your options, should your flight be cancelled.

“If they had said to me, wait and see if your flight is cancelled, I would have done that but they didn’t say that, they said, you have three choices and your flight is affected.”

IN TEARS

Mike added: “It was really stressful, she was in tears.”

Brida said the airline never sent her a message that made her believe her flight was not cancelled.

She said: “Aer Lingus has never sent me any notification to check in early online, you know how they send you an email within 24 hours saying time to check in, nothing, I have received nothing.

“I’m furious because of the language used, leading me to believe that the email I got was my notification that yes indeed my flight is affected, I need to take action.”

She added: “Right now I’m thinking there’s no way the refund is going to happen.

“The money is the main thing, and for me, that money wouldn’t have been an issue if the communication had been more clear.”

The distressed couple said although their trip was a happy one, the experience has left a sour taste.

They explained: “We had a fantastic time but it’s a real sour note.

“The cost of us just going home on American Airlines is more expensive than our round trip here. I’m really angry about it.”

Brida raged: “Honestly, will I ever fly Aer Lingus again? Probably not.

“We’ll see what they do, if they don’t refund my ticket with American Airlines or my flight home with them, I’ll never fly them again.

“I’m mad now. I wasn’t mad before, I was like oh I hope the pilots get what they want, they sent me the email and I thought that’s fine I’ll take care of it, but I’m now mad now.”

STRIKE PLANNED

The indefinite work-to-rule commenced at midnight with pilots now refusing to work overtime, accept changes to set rosters, or take on out-of-hours management requests.

An eight-hour strike is also planned for Saturday.

A resolution to the bitter dispute looked a long way away after the Irish Labour Court told both sides on Tuesday it will not be intervening at the present time.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the pilots group Ialpa said it had accepted an invitation to talks with Aer Lingus as the work-to-rule continues.

They are expected to meet at 9.30am on Thursday.

The airline and the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association, a branch of the Forsa trade union, have been involved in a heated exchange of words in recent days, with each accusing the other of not engaging.

The pilots are seeking a pay increase of 24 per cent, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019.

Aer Lingus has said it is willing to offer pay increases of 12.5 per cent or above if “improvements in productivity and flexibility” are discussed.

Political pressure is increasing on the Government to help resolve the dispute, with Taoiseach Simon Harris asking both sides to “dig deep” in an attempt to come to a resolution.

Aer Lingus was contacted for comment.