- Author, Abigail Taylor and Jake Wood
- Role, BBC News NI
Aer Lingus has canceled 124 flights in the first five days of the upcoming pilot strike.
Earlier this week, the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) lodged an indefinite strike notice 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 29 June from 5am to 1pm BST.
In a statement, the airline said it was “dismayed that IALPA will further escalate this industrial action following the malicious action previously announced”.
He said the strike was “clearly designed to cause maximum damage to passengers’ travel plans”.
Aer Lingus said it would work to minimize disruption to passengers.
On Thursday, the airline announced it would have to cancel 10% to 20% of flights during the first five days of the event.
The action is expected to affect up to 40,000 passengers flying with the airline between June 26 and July 2, with up to 44 flights a day canceled by Aer Lingus.
Aer Lingus said the cancellation 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 the UK during this period “will not be affected by any industrial relations action and will operate as planned”, the airline said.
Joe Giggs and his fiancee Chloe, from Donadea, Co. Kildare, are set to marry in Portugal on July 2.
He said: “We were due to fly to Lisbon on June 26 with Aer Lingus – I booked new flights for Monday with another airline for almost €1,000.”
Mr Giggs’ main concern is his wedding guests, who are due to fly out next week.
“A lot of guests are booked with Aer Lingus so we could miss our wedding with very close family and friends,” he added.
The couple had been planning and saving for the wedding for two years.
He said it was “heartbreaking” that many of his close friends and family may not make it to the big day.
He added: “Personally, I would like to see pilots get paid. I understand they are already well paid 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 “grossly unfair”.
‘It was really stressful’
image source, Judith Mateo
Judit Mateo (20) from Barcelona is waiting to find out if her flight to Dublin was affected by the protest action.
On Wednesday, June 26, he is scheduled to fly to the Taylor Swift concert on Friday.
She said: “It’s been really 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’ll be able to attend the concert.”
Miss Mateo said she had been trying to contact the airline but “they are not picking up the phone so I’m not really sure what I can do about it”.
She added: “I flew to Dublin to do the Eras show, I wanted to see Taylor Swift for the first time ever so it’s a big deal.
“So far all I know is that they are willing to change my tickets for another week, but since the concert is on June 28th, it doesn’t work for me.”
She hopes to get a refund if her flight is affected in time and book an alternative airline, but if that doesn’t happen she says she “won’t be able to afford another ticket so it’s going to be really hard if I don’t make it to Dublin in time.”
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Aer Lingus said there will be a range of options available to affected customers.
Those due to travel abroad between June 26 and July 2 can change their flight for free, request a refund or get a voucher.
However, some customers fear they are being “left in limbo”.
The airline said customers affected by the flight cancellations would begin to be contacted from Friday.
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Pilots who are members of IALPA voted 99% to support the action, including a strike.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland about how long the governance work would continue, IALPA president Captain Mark Tighe said it would depend on Aer Lingus.
He said talks had been going on for 22 months, adding that the 24% pay rise being sought was a “cumulative increase in inflation over time”.
He said on the show that while the pay structure for Aer Lingus pilots was similar to other airlines, the top end of the ladder could only be reached after 26 years.
Aer Lingus said: “The industrial action by IALPA will have a completely unnecessary impact on customers traveling in the coming weeks during the peak family holiday season.
“The nature of this industrial action will have a significant impact on our flight schedules.”