- Author, Abigail Taylor and Jake Wood
- Role, BBC NewsNI
Aer Lingus has canceled 124 flights during the first five days of the upcoming pilot strike.
Earlier this week, the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) terminated a permanent employment contract from Wednesday 26 June as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
On Friday, IALPA members at Aer Lingus said they now plan to strike on Saturday June 29 from 5am to 1pm BST.
In a statement, the airline said it was “dismayed that IALPA would further escalate this industrial action, following the previously announced treasonous action.”
It said the strike is “clearly intended to cause maximum damage to passengers’ travel plans”.
Aer Lingus said it will do everything it can to minimize disruption to passengers.
On Thursday, the airline announced that it would have to cancel between 10% and 20% of flights during the first five days of the campaign.
It is believed the move will affect up to 40,000 passengers flying with the airline between June 26 and July 2, with up to 44 flights per day being canceled by Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus said the cancellations would allow it to “protect as many services as possible for as many of our customers as possible”.
However, regional services to and from Belfast and Britain will be “unaffected by any industrial relations action during this period and will operate as planned”, the airline said.
Joe Giggs and his fiancée Chloe, from Donadea in County Kildare, are getting married in Portugal on July 2.
He said: “We were meant to fly to Lisbon with Aer Lingus on June 26 – I booked new flights with another airline on Monday for almost €1,000.”
Mr Giggs’ main concern is for his wedding guests, who have to fly next week.
“There are many guests booked with Aer Lingus, so very close family and friends may miss our wedding,” he added.
The couple has been planning and saving for the wedding for two years.
He said it was “heartbreaking” that many of his close friends and family might not make it to the big day.
He added: “Personally, I would like to see the pilots paid. I understand they are already paid high salaries compared to the average worker, but I will always try to support collective action and unions where I can.”
However, he added that he believed the timing of the action was “very unfair”.
‘It was really stressful’
Image source, Judith Mateo
Judit Mateo, 20, from Barcelona, is waiting to find out if her flight to Dublin has been affected by the industrial action.
On Wednesday, June 26, she will fly to Taylor Swift’s concert on Friday.
She said: “It’s been very stressful. I haven’t been able to concentrate on work because all I can think about is when I’ll know for sure if I can attend the concert.”
Ms Mateo said she has tried to contact the airline but “they’re not answering the phone so I’m not really sure what I can do about this”.
She added: “I flew to Dublin to attend the Eras show, I was going to see Taylor Swift for the first time ever so it’s a big deal.
“All I know so far is that they are willing to change my plane tickets for another week, but since the concert is on June 28, that doesn’t work for me.”
She hopes to get a refund in time if her flight is affected so she can book an alternative airline, but if that doesn’t happen she says she ‘can’t afford a new plane ticket so it’s going to be very difficult for her’ if I can’t get to Dublin on time.”
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Aer Lingus said affected customers will have a number of options available to them.
Anyone traveling abroad between June 26 and July 2 can change flights for free, request a refund or receive a voucher.
However, some customers are concerned about being left “in the dark.”
The airline said customers affected by flight cancellations will be contacted from Friday.
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IALPA member pilots voted 99% in favor of action, up to and including a strike.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland about how long the work to govern would continue, IALPA president Captain Mark Tighe said this would depend on Aer Lingus.
He said talks had been going on for 22 months and added that the 24% wage increase being sought represents a “cumulative increase in inflation over time”.
He told the show that although the pay structure for Aer Lingus pilots was similar to other airlines, the top end of the scale could only be reached after 26 years.
Aer Lingus said: “IALPA’s industrial action will have a completely unnecessary impact on customers traveling in the coming weeks, during the peak family season.
“The nature of this strike will have a significant impact on our flight schedules.”