Strike at Aer Lingus: Pilots have to take eight hours off

Updated 2 minutes ago

Some flights at Dublin, Cork, Knock and Shannon airports have been cancelled as Aer Lingus pilots plan to go on strike on Saturday.

Pilots have been working as usual since Wednesday. The strike, which is scheduled to last eight hours, begins at 5:00 a.m. local time.

This is part of an ongoing dispute over pay.

The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) had previously demanded a 24% pay increase for its members.

The pilots’ pickets will be at the entrance to Dublin Airport.

Aer Lingus says there are “a range of options” for affected passengers.

Due to the indefinite service and pilot strike, the airline has now cancelled almost 400 flights.

There are currently more than 50 cancelled flights from Dublin Airport listed for Saturday.

Current flight information is available on the Aer Lingus flight status tool or mobile app.

The airline’s website states that if your flight is affected, you will be contacted directly by the airline via email or text message.

If you booked through a travel agent, the travel agent will contact you and inform you of your options.

Aer Lingus’ website states: “Regional flights operated by Emerald Airlines to and from Belfast and the UK are unaffected by any industrial action and will operate as planned.”

Aer Lingus’ regional flight numbers are EI 3000 – EI 3999.

The airline said passengers booked flights between now and July 2 have several options available.

Customers who have booked directly with Aer Lingus have the option to rebook flights online.

The company said that if you rebook at a later date, the fare difference and any service charges will be waived.

You also have the option to request a full refund or a refund voucher that can be redeemed within five years.

Aer Lingus advises that passengers who have booked through third-party providers must contact those companies directly.

Captain Mark Tighe, president of Ialpa, said the 24% increase was a “cumulative inflation rate since 2019, our last pay increase.”

In an interview with BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster on Friday, Captain Tighe said the union had announced it would accept a lower than inflation-linked pay rise in an effort to resolve the dispute.

“We don’t believe anyone should get less than the rate of inflation, but yesterday, in an effort to resolve this issue, we said we would accept less than the rate of inflation.”

However, he added: “We believe inflation is a very reasonable proposition at this point in time.”

Co-pilots can start on a starting salary of around €36,000 (£30,400), with packages increasing depending on actual flying hours.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that a captain at the top end of the salary scale can earn around €287,000 (£242,000).

Captain Mark Tighe said on Thursday that this could take up to 26 years.

For pilots, there are differences depending on whether the flight is short or long-haul.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that IALPA had recommended another strike on Thursday.

However, on Friday afternoon, Captain Mark Tighe said the Irish Employment Court had ordered both parties to the dispute to appear in court again on Monday afternoon.

“We are discussing this at the moment and it will obviously have an impact on whether we extend the industrial action or not,” he told BBC News NI.

“I hope they have now realised the seriousness of the situation and can apply their considerable expertise.”

It is a long-running dispute over pay and there have been numerous announcements.

But here are some of the most important things that have happened so far this week: