Aer Lingus: Airline cancels 80 more flights due to pilot pay dispute

Aer Lingus has announced that 80 more flights have been cancelled as pilots continue to take industrial action over pay.

The airline said the cancellations, between July 11 and 14, will allow it to “protect as many services as possible.”

In a statement, the airline said affected passengers would be contacted about refund and rebooking options.

The pilots, represented by the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), began organising their indefinite work-to-rule strike on June 26.

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

The conflict has so far led to hundreds of flight cancellations and disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers.

The pilots initially demanded a 24% pay rise, arguing that their pay had not kept up with high levels of inflation since their last pay rise in 2019.

However, there are reports that Aer Lingus is seeking to change pilots’ working conditions before agreeing to a pay rise above 12.25%.

Ialpa said it offered to reduce its salary request by 24%, but accused the company of failing to reciprocate.

Last Friday, the labour court issued a new invitation to both parties to attend a meeting on Monday.

Representatives from Aer Lingus and Ialpa attended the meeting, which lasted more than eight hours, and are awaiting a recommendation from the court.

The court has requested that there be no escalation of the conflict, but the current work-to-rule by Ialpa members remains in effect.

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

They will also be able to request a refund or a voucher, the airline said.

These options will be communicated directly to the customers concerned.

“Aer Lingus fully understands the anxiety felt by customers given the uncertainty caused by Ialpa’s industrial action and is offering affected customers as many options as possible,” the airline said.