Aer Lingus cancels ANOTHER 120 flights as 15,000 customers hit by strike action

AROUND 15,000 customers have been left with travel plans up in the air after Aer Lingus cancellled another bout of flights.

Affecting anyone who has booked with the airline next Saturday, further chaos has ensued due to an eight hour strike by pilots.

The airline has now cancelled a further 120 flights due to the industrial action by the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa).

A work-to-rule strike is set to commence on Wednesday.

Pilots have now declared a full-scale day of strike action from 5am to 1pm on Saturday on top of the open-ended work-to-rule.

15,000 customers on short-haul flights will be impacted while Aer Lingus is re-timing their long-haul flights on June 28 and 29.

This will now see customers being automatically rebooked onto different flights and they will be contacted by the airline about their options.

A spokesperson said: “Aer Lingus is automatically rebooking some customers onto alternative flights and has begun emailing all other customers informing them of the cancellations and advising them of their options: to change their flight for free, to request a refund or to request a voucher.

“The detail of the cancelled flights on June 29 is available on the ‘Travel Advisory’ on the Aer Lingus website at aerlingus.com.

“Aer Lingus Regional flights, operated by Emerald Airlines, are unaffected by IALPA’s industrial action and will operate as scheduled. Aer Lingus Regional flight numbers are in the range EI3000 – EI3999.”

The flights that will be impacted are from Dublin to Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam, Lyons, Berlin, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Rome, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Manchester, Munich and Vienna, as well as short-haul flights from Cork to Heathrow.

On Friday, Aer Lingus cancelled 124 flights across pilots’ first five days of work-to-rule strike action from next week – before a major escalation with a new eight-hour weekend strike.

The airline said 20,000 punters will be impacted with 24 flights per day cancelled between Wednesday June 26 and Sunday June 30.

Passengers were to find out from today if their flights were cancelled, with thousands of customers left waiting to get through to jammed Aer Lingus call centres.

Aer Lingus this afternoon confirmed cancelled routes, with flights in and out of Ireland, the UK, Europe and the States all impacted.

Airline chiefs said the impact was at the lower end of the 10 to 20 per cent cancellation rate planned.

But they warned: “However, given the form of the industrial action, there may be additional cancellations which happen close to the time of travel.”

Confirming the new eight-hour strike move, IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said: “We have been forced to escalate this dispute following a campaign of antagonism by Aer Lingus management directed toward our members.

“The scale of next week’s anticipated flight cancellations, as described by Aer Lingus, illustrates the extent to which the company relies on the flexibility and goodwill of pilots.

“We go above and beyond to provide a good service to our customers.

“The company has recently enjoyed a 400 per cent increase in profits, which demonstrates how much the company benefits directly from that flexibility and goodwill.

“As always, IALPA remains open to talking with Aer Lingus in direct negotiations to settle this dispute in a way that fairly deals with pilots’ pay.”

Aer Lingus condemned the decision in what they said was a move “to inflict further pain on passengers”.

Airline chiefs rapped: “IALPA’s decision is clearly designed to inflict maximum damage on passengers’ travel plans at the peak of the holiday season.

“Aer Lingus will assess the impact of this notice of strike action and do everything we can to minimise the further disruption this will cause to passengers.”

FLIGHTS CANCELLED ON JUNE 26:

• Cork to London Heathrow EI0724 8.30pm
• Dublin to Amsterdam EI0602 6.15am
• Dublin to Berlin/Brandenburg EI0332 6.40am
• Dublin to Birmingham EI0276 7.20pm
• Dublin to Brussels EI0638 5.55pm
• Dublin to Dusseldorf EI0698 5.30pm
• Dublin to Frankfurt EI0656 4.45pm
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0166 1.30pm
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0182 7.00pm
• Dublin to Manchester EI0208 12.50pm
• Dublin to Munich EI0356 4.25pm
• Dublin to New York JFK EI0105 11.05am
• Birmingham to Dublin EI0277 8.50pm
• London Heathrow to Cork EI0725 10.25pm
• London Heathrow to Dublin EI0167 3.50pm
• London Heathrow to Dublin EI0183 9.10pm
• Manchester to Dublin EI0209 2.25pm
• Amsterdam to Dublin EI0603 9.35am
• Berlin/Brandenburg to Dublin EI0333 10.40am
• Brussels to Dublin EI0639 9.20pm
• Dusseldorf to Dublin EI0699 9.05pm
• Frankfurt to Dublin EI0657 8.40pm
• Munich to Dublin EI0357 8.30pm
• Paris to Dublin EI0527 4.30pm
• New York JFK to Dublin EI0104 4.55pm

FLIGHTS CANCELLED ON JUNE 28:

• Cork to London Heathrow EI0724 8.30pm
• Dublin to Amsterdam EI0602 6.15am
• Dublin to Berlin/Brandenburg EI0332 6.40am
• Dublin to Birmingham EI0276 7.20pm
• Dublin to Brussels EI0638 5.55pm
• Dublin to Dusseldorf EI0698 5.30pm
• Dublin to Frankfurt EI0656 4.45pm
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0158 9.45am
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0164 12pm
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0182 7pm
• Dublin to Manchester EI0208 12.50pm
• Dublin to Munich EI0356 4.25pm
• Dublin to New York EI0105 11.05am
• Dublin to Paris EI0526 1pm
• Birmingham to Dublin EI0277 8.50pm
• London Heathrow to Cork EI0725 10.25pm
• London Heathrow to Dublin EI0165 2.20pm
• London Heathrow to Dublin EI0183 9.10pm
• Manchester to Dublin EI0209 2.25pm
• Amsterdam to Dublin EI0603 9.35am
• Berlin/Brandenburg to Dublin EI0333 10.40am
• Brussels to Dublin EI0639 9.35pm
• Dusseldorf to Dublin EI0699 9.05pm
• Frankfurt to Dublin EI0657 8.40pm
• Munich to Dublin EI0357 8.30pm
• Paris to Dublin EI0527 4.30pm
• New York JFK to Dublin EI0104 4.55pm

FLIGHTS CANCELLED ON JUNE 30:

• Cork to London Heathrow EI0724 8.30pm
• Dublin to Berlin/Brandenburg EI0332 6.40sm
• Dublin to Birmingham EI0276 7.20pm
• Dublin to Brussels EI0638 5.55pm
• Dublin to Dusseldorf EI0698 5.30pm
• Dublin to Frankfurt EI0656 4.45pm
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0168 2.30pm
• Dublin to London Heathrow EI0182 7pm
• Dublin to Lyon EI0550 6.15am
• Dublin to Manchester EI0208 12.50pm
• Dublin to Munich EI0356 4.25pm
• Dublin to New York JFK EI0105 11.05am
• Dublin to Paris EI0526 1pm
• Birmingham to Dublin EI0277 8.50pm
• London Heathrow to Cork EI0725 10.25pm
• London Heathrow to Dublin EI0169 4.50pm
• London Heathrow to Dublin EI0183 9.10pm
• Manchester to Dublin EI0209 2.25pm
• Berlin/Brandenburg to Dublin EI0333 10.40am
• Brussels to Dublin EI0639 9.20pm
• Dusseldorf to Dublin EI0699 9.05pm
• Frankfurt to Dublin EI0657 8.40pm
• Lyon to Dublin EI0551 10.10am
• Munich to Dublin EI0357 8.30pm
• Paris to Dublin EI0527 4.30pm
• New York JFK to Dublin EI0104 4.55pm