Aer Lingus cancels 244 flights this week due to pilot strike

What began as a strict work-by-rule approach from Wednesday, June 26, 2024, has quickly escalated into a full-blown pilot strike at Irish airline Aer Lingus. Pilots are now planning to walk out of work between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. The airline has taken action itself by cancelling at least 244 flights in the first five days of the strike.

Things have gotten bad

On Friday, the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) informed the airline that pilots would strike on Saturday, June 29, in addition to industrial action from June 26 to July 2. According to the BBCAer Lingus said it had now cancelled at least 244 flights scheduled for next week, affecting the travel plans of more than 40,000 passengers.

Photo: Croatorum | Shutterstock

In response to the impact of the work-to-rule struggle, which the airline described as an insidious form of industrial action, Aer Lingus cancelled between 10 and 20 per cent of its flights between Wednesday 26 June and Sunday 30 June. The airline said cancelling these flights would enable it to maintain as many services as possible to as many customers as possible, adding that it “We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact on customers.”

“It is inevitable that there will be some disruption as a result of this industrial action and we will communicate any changes, delays or cancellations to affected customers as soon as possible. In the event of cancellations, we will try to accommodate customers as quickly as possible and we will work with other airlines and partner airlines to seek to lease aircraft for this purpose.”

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More news to follow

As of 09:21 UTC on Sunday, the Aer Lingus website says that all Aer Lingus regional flights operated by Emerald Airlines, as well as Aer Lingus UK transatlantic flights to and from Manchester, are operating as scheduled. The airline said:

“We fully understand customers’ fears given the uncertainty this has created. We are offering all customers with bookings during these dates the opportunity to change flights or request refunds or vouchers. We are also providing additional resources to minimise disruption.”

The Irish Times reported that the strike came just an hour after Aer Lingus announced it would cancel 124 flights for five days from Wednesday when the service to rule came into effect. IALPA chairman Captain Mark Tighe accused the airline of escalating the conflict by running a campaign of hostility against union members and that the union was demanding a fair pay rise given the rising cost of living and salaries at other European airlines.

Photo: Aer Lingus

The union leader said the conflict would not have come to this if Aer Lingus had resumed negotiations with the union instead of threatening to cut conditions. Tighe added:

The airline said the strike on June 29 would affect the Dublin-New York JFK and Cork-Heathrow routes, as well as flights from Dublin to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Rome, Frankfurt, Geneva, Manchester, Munich, Vienna, Hamburg, Lyon, Düsseldorf and Birmingham.

Have you been affected by this industrial action? Let us know in the comments.