Expert shares Aer Lingus routes that will be protected from industrial action

Aer Lingus pilots have voted to take industrial action over a pay dispute and they are expected to enforce a work to rule status next week, but representatives for the pilots have not ruled out a strike taking place.

Travel expert Eoghan Corry has revealed the routes that will not be affected by industrial action.

Speaking on RTE’s Radio 1’s Morning Ireland, Eoghan said: “What [work to rule] means is withdrawal of flexibility, pilots will not be logging on, they will not be answering calls.

Read more: Aer Lingus: Start date of industrial action, who will be affected and what passengers can do

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He continued: “Flexibility is the key to aviation, and particularly in summertime when we will have 40,000 Aer Lingus passengers travelling a day, there are cancellations all the time. Crews going out of hours happens all the time in summertime. Airlines rely on flexibility to cope with that.”

The industrial action will begin next week, with a notice served to the airline this week that pilots’ work to rule status would start on Wednesday, 16 June from midnight. While Eoghan said it’s hard to pin down exactly which routes and flights will be affected, he has said that there are certain routes the airline will do its best to protect.

Due to transatlantic routes being the most financially lucrative, Eoghan said: “I would expect Aer Lingus to try and protect them, and protect the Heathrow routes particularly.”

There is currently very little information available for passengers who have already booked tickets with the airline. However, if you are considering booking tickets for a summer holiday, you are being advised to postpone this or travel with a different airline.

He said that Aer Lingus will be looking at contingency plans over the next seven days should a solution between Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) and the airline not be reached by then; however, Eoghan warned that a resolution is likely to be reached later rather than sooner.

“They’ll inflict the maximum financial damage on the airline and anxiety on the passengers in the meantime,” he said.