Aer Lingus goes back to its regular schedule following a halt in cancellations due to the suspension of industrial action over wage disputes last week by pilots. The company also marked down European flight fares by up to a quarter, further introducing US airfare from €199 in a move to regain its customer base after almost 86,000 people saw a disruption to their plans due to cancellations.
Last week, Aer Lingus terminated 25 flights scheduled for this Monday and Tuesday, fearing the continuation of the work to rule, instigated by the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa). This bumped the total number of services revoked to 573 as an after-effort.
Last Wednesday, Ialpa froze industrial action when the group’s executive suggested a proposal from the Labour Court for a 17.75 per cent raise in pilots’ salaries over three and a half years till July 2026. Members of Ialpa will commence the voting process on the offer on July 18th, with voting concluding on the following Tuesday.
Aer Lingus revealed it would agree to the Labour Court’s suggestion soon after it was proposed, specifically by Monday of last week. An affirmative vote by pilots would resolve a conflict that started when Ialpa submitted a pay claim in October 2022 — an industrial action that included an eight-hour strike and spanned two weeks.
In the meantime, Aer Lingus has decided to reduce fares by as much as 25 per cent for European routes for travel between July 20th and September 30th, applicable on bookings until July 18th. From August 1st to October 6th, the airliner will offer return North American flights at €199 each way as part of the promotion.