Aer Lingus has warned that there will definitely be flight cancellations if planned industrial action by pilots goes ahead next week.
The Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) yesterday served notice of an indefinite work-to-rule from Wednesday 26 June as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Aer Lingus Donal Moriarty said that its assessment of next week’s planned industrial action is ongoing but that the impact will be significant.
“It will definitely trigger cancellations and it’s likely to be cumulative with the level of cancellation increasing as time goes by, so it will definitely be significant,” Mr Moriarty said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime programme, he said that the action is “designed for maximum negative impact on customers”.
“It’s an ongoing form of industrial action day after day so its effect will be cumulative,” he said.
“It’s designed to significantly disrupt, particularly with the provision preventing changes to rosters.
“So inevitably we are going to see some cancellations and perhaps growing levels of cancellations, day by day.”
Mr Moriarty said it is not possible to indicate the number of cancellations that Aer Lingus can expect as part of work-to-rule action by pilots.
He called on members of IALPA to engage with them via the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which he said they have so far refused to do.
“We are calling on IALPA to agree to that step now.”
Mr Moriarty said the cancellation effect will only become apparent in the immediate time before the flight is due to operate, up to and including the day of operation.
He said Aer Lingus is seeking support from other airlines to minimise disruption for passengers.
“What we can commit to is that when there is cancellation, we will do everything we can, and we will work to re-accommodate passengers as quickly as possible.
“We are looking to work with other airlines with partner airlines and to hire in aircraft to make that re-accommodation as effective as possible.”
Customers directly affected will be contacted directly by Aer Lingus, Mr Moriarty said, but he reiterated that the effect of this action may only become apparent in the immediate period before the operation.
“We will contact that passenger directly setting out their options.
“Their options will be a refund or re-accommodation in some form.”
He said the airline will also contact customers over the next number of days, once it has completed an assessment of the impact.
It will set out their options, both in the event of disruption and in the period prior to disruption, he added.
Mr Moriarty said two of the lead negotiators from IALPA could “very easily have been available to have direct discussions with us by swapping their duties which is the normal process amongst pilots” but they “have chosen not to”.
“That’s consistent with their refusal to engage with us on these issues,” he added.
The work-to-rule will see pilots refusing to work overtime, or any other out-of-hours duties requested by management.
They will also refuse to log on to online Aer Lingus portals or answer work phone calls outside of work hours.
“The nature of this industrial action will cause a significant impact on our flight schedules,” Aer Lingus said in a statement.
“However, our focus is on communicating directly with impacted customers when we can and notifying them of their options.
“We will also be communicating directly with third party agents including travel agents and online agents. Passengers who booked through a third-party should contact their sales agents for any updates,” the airline said.
“We will do everything we can to minimise the impact for customers. However, it is inevitable that there will be disruption as a result of this industrial action and we will communicate any changes, delays or cancellations to impacted customers as soon as possible,” it added.
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The CEO of airport operator daa, Kenny Jacobs, has told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that the disruption at Aer Lingus may have an impact on the 32 million passenger cap at Dublin Airport which it is in danger of breaching.
“Ironically, the potential Aer Lingus strikes will help with that compliance, because it could take out a chunk of passengers in the summer depending on what shapes the strikes take,” Mr Jacobs said.
Talks between management and pilots at Aer Lingus ended without agreement on Thursday evening.
IALPA members have voted overwhelmingly to reject a Labour Court recommendation that pilots should receive pay increases totalling 9.25% as part of an interim settlement.
The figure was well below the 23.8% that the pilots are seeking.
Aer Lingus has described the level of increases being sought as exorbitant, outrageous and untenable.
IALPA has said the previous pay offers have failed to take account of inflation, the big profits being made by Aer Lingus and the sacrifices made by pilots to sustain the airline during the Covid pandemic.
Disruption inevitable
All parties involved in the dispute over pay should go back to the Workplace Relations Commission, Irish Tourism Industry Confederation Chief Executive Eoghan O’Meara Walsh has said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Mr O’Meara Walsh said he understands Aer Lingus are keen to engage again, adding that an indefinite work to rule or any strike action is very disruptive for businesses, but also for the tourism industry.
“It’s not just the airline that’s impacted, it’s also the downstream tourism businesses, the hotels, the restaurants, the attractions, they potentially will miss out on very valuable US business,” he said.
“A visitor to Ireland can equally choose Scotland or the Scandinavian countries. That’s the real danger.”
He said anecdotal evidence is already suggesting that bookings have slowed, which Mr O’Meara Walsh described as a “real concern”.
“This industry is all about momentum, and the summer is absolutely critical to us.”
The Chief Executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association said it is difficult to know how the Aer Lingus work to rule will impact people, but said it is inevitable there will be disruption.
It is the travelling public that are the victims in this, Clare Dunne said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms Dunne said that passengers have paid a lot of money and, for many, this is their one chance to go away and get a break.
“They’re facing into long delays, possibly cancellations, possibly financial penalties, because if they booked their flight and their accommodation separately, they may lose on that if their flight is cancelled and they can’t get where they need to go,” she said.
Ms Dunne said that the advice for customers is to sit tight because there is not much point in cancelling and losing money on the basis that you might be disrupted.
She said those customers who are currently booked with Aer Lingus will be penalised if they change their flights.
Ms Dunne said it is too late for intending passengers to take out travel insurance to cover the costs of disruption, because this work-to-rule is a known event.
She added that the tourism industry in Ireland will also be badly hit because people will not be able to travel here.