More Aer Lingus flights cancelled – BBC News

Updated 1 hour ago

Aer Lingus has cancelled an additional 76 flights between July 8 and 10 due to ongoing pilot strikes.

The dispute has so far led to nearly 500 cancelled flights and disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers.

Pilots initially demanded a 24% pay rise, saying their salaries were not keeping pace with the high inflation seen since their last pay rise in 2019.

However, reports say Aer Lingus wants to adjust pilots’ working conditions before agreeing to a pay rise above 12.25%.

Ireland’s employment tribunal is expected to issue a formal opinion later on Wednesday in a bid to end the pay dispute between Aer Lingus pilots.

The Labour Court is an independent organisation that mediates in disputes in the workplace and helps employers, trade unions and employees to find solutions.

It is a ‘court of last resort’, meaning that the court’s services can only be called upon when the parties to a dispute have exhausted all other options.

The Labour Court hears both parties in a dispute about employment relations in a closed setting.

The court then issues a written opinion setting out the court’s judgment on the resolution of the dispute.

Aer Lingus said in a statement on Wednesday that it is cancelling another 76 flights between July 8 and 10.

The airline says it is cancelling the flights “to protect as many services as possible” from the ongoing strikes.

“By making these cancellations we can safeguard as many services as possible for as many customers as possible,” Aer Lingus said.

Details of the cancellations will be communicated to affected customers.

The pilots, represented by the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA), are holding an indefinite protest which began on June 26.

This means that they do not work overtime or perform other tasks outside office hours.

After talks facilitated by the Labour Court failed last week, they threatened to step up their strikes.

However, the court has requested that no escalation be carried out and pilots are considering this request in light of the latest negotiations.

Aer Lingus has said customers affected by the latest cancellations will be given the option to change their flights free of charge.

They may also be entitled to a refund or voucher, the airline said.

These options will be communicated directly to affected customers.

“Aer Lingus fully understands that customers are concerned about the uncertainty caused by IALPA’s strike action and is therefore offering affected customers as many options as possible,” the airline said.

There has been a long-running dispute over salaries, but here are some of the key events from the past few days.