Despite potential progress in the ongoing dispute between Aer Lingus and its pilots, industry insiders suggest that travellers with plans to fly over the summer with Aer Lingus should not yet breathe easy. While the odds of the disagreement escalating have diminished somewhat, it could be a while before the threat of a strike is entirely eliminated.
Aer Lingus’ leadership announced on Monday their intention to accept the final resolution that proposed a pay increase of 17.75% for pilots. Nonetheless, the pilots’ union, Iapla, pledged earlier to put up this recommendation for a vote among its members, a process which is predicted to take several days. This could result in further flight cancellations. Over the last fortnight, during an indefinite work-to-rule action by the pilots, around 548 flights have been cancelled, impacting approximately 90,000 passengers. Booked cancels are currently planned until the end of the week.
Both parties involved in the dispute have been urged by the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) to prioritize the needs of its customers and resolve the conflict. ITAA’s CEO, Clare Dunne, emphasized that it is totally within their power to conclude the dispute.
Despite the lingering uncertainty, Eoghan Corry, owner of online travel portal TravelExtra, remains cautiously hopeful that things will soon be resolved. He suspected that Iapla may use the proposed 17.75% pay rise as a starting point for renewed discussions with management.
Corry reasoned that even though the pilot’s union might reject the Labour Court’s proposal, there probably wouldn’t be a significant shift in the immediate future. He added that he didn’t anticipate further escalation and speculated that the work-to-rule policy, which has had no impact on their earnings, will be maintained.
He further proposed that Aer Lingus may need to offer seat sales at reduced rates to recover from the significant drop in reservations in past weeks, once the industrial disagreement is resolved. “There’s a probability of quick sale campaigns to sell the remaining seats for the later part of the summer,” he mentioned, although he cautioned that those hoping for a swift bargain might be let down. “Rapid sales usually have the most impact on sun routes and Aer Lingus has been able to navigate the work-to-rule situation without cancelling too many of them. However, if a flight’s seats are unsold six weeks prior to departure, that could present a problem, so if there are going to be any rapid sales, they might not manifest for several more weeks,” he added.