The experience of one family during the weekend perfectly illustrated the unforeseen yet anticipated consequences of the continuous labour disagreement at Aer Lingus. A family’s vacation plans were disrupted at a departure gate in Dublin Airport, helplessly awaiting the departure of their flight to Bordeaux.
The current standoff between pilots resulting in several flights being called off daily has still enabled Aer Lingus to provide the majority of passengers with ample caution. The majority of these disruptions are prioritised to affect commercial lanes heading to locations like London, Brussels, and Frankfurt.
However, the dispute makes flights susceptible to abrupt cancellations if pilots are unable or unwilling to commit additional hours in adherence to the work-to-rule policy.
Eoin Wickham, along with his wife and three kids, experienced an abrupt cancellation during their trip to France over the past weekend. “We deposited our bags, passed security, and right after a short shopping trip, we found ourselves at the gate only to find our flight cancelled,” Wickham shares.
He mentioned how Aer Lingus employees attributed the problem to “naughty pilots” when explaining the situation to his Four-year-old.
The family was then instructed to retrieve their luggage and proceed to a check-in counter. “While queuing, we contacted Aer Lingus to arrange for a trip the next day to Bordeaux. We were informed that there would be no seats until Thursday, July 11th,” he added.
Refusing to forgo four days from their two-week vacation, they decided to check if there were seats available for Paris. They finally secured a reservation on a flight to the French capital that was scheduled to leave on Monday, leaving them with the task of rearranging their car rental and informing their lodging that their arrival would be delayed to Tuesday, July 9th, around 4:30 am.
In response, Aer Lingus acknowledged that the continuing and disruptive conduct of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association’s industrial action is unfortunately leading to some unplanned last-minute flight cancellations. The airline expressed its understanding of the immense strain this puts on their customers, causing significant worry, and extended their apologies for any inconvenience caused.
A representative confirmed that in the event of flight cancellations, their team swiftly takes action to have customers rescheduled on the earliest possible flights to their destinations. However, given that it’s peak summer season, the subsequent accessible flight for this customer to Bordeaux was on July 9th. The customer opted to travel to Paris a day ahead on July 8th instead.
Aer Lingus offers its sincere apology to that customer, and broadly to anyone whose travel plans and holidays have been upset, the representative concluded.
The following days are crucial for shaping the summer experience for numerous Aer Lingus commuters. The Labour Court has suggested a wage hike of 17.75% for the pilots, a matter currently under the consideration of both parties. If both parties endorse the Labour Court’s decision, the industrial turbulence will cease.
However, if Ialpa feels the pay rise recommendation does not sufficiently meet its initial demand of nearly 24 per cent , or if management feels it’s too generous, the recommendation is likely to be dismissed.
Considering the possibility of a vote, which could take days, if the current workplace dispute amplifies to full strike days, this would aggravate the sitiuation for travellers.
Industrial relation guidelines mandate the union to provide a minimum of seven days’ notice of any planned action beyond the existing work-to-rule.
The earliest date for a full blown striker, based on this timeline and if the Labour Court’s suggestions are voted on by Thursday evening, would be July 19th or 20th (Friday or Saturday), including Sunday the 20th. Both the airline and tens of thousands of holiday-makers could be hugely affected by this.
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) is urging both parties to align with the Labour Court’s recommendation today, keeping the customer’s welfare as the focus of their agenda.
Clare Dunne, ITAA’s Chief Executive, stated, “It is within both parties’ power to settle the dispute now, which will inevitably conclude at some point. We urge them to embrace the Labour Court’s recommendation.”