Brit holidaymakers are facing chaos as a major airline has cancelled hundreds of flights to and from the UK. Union bosses are asking for a 24% pay rise for their members to return to work just days before the peak travel season begins. The Irish Air Line Pilot's Association (Ialpa) has confirmed industrial action which will impact routes across the Irish Sea and has seen 122 Aer Lingus flights cancelled between July 3 and July 7.
A total of 122 flights had also been cancelled over the next seven days, with Dublin Airport majorly affected by the strikes as routes to the UK were pulled from Aer Lingus' reduced schedule. Talks between Ialpa and Aer Lngus broke down last week before an agreement was reached on the pay settlement, with the union demanding a 24% increase to salaries in line with inflation. Officials pointed out Aer Lingus' 400% "increase in profit" as the basis of the pay rise.
But the airline has insisted the most it can offer is 12.25%. Anything higher would be sourced through savings from changing working conditions, according to Aer Lingus officials.
Chief corporate office Donal Moriarty says they had "engaged constructively" with unions but were left cancelling over 100 flights as the dispute continues. Chief Moriarty said: "We tried to discuss items that could actually resolve this dispute, in particular we tried to discuss productivity, flexibility and the modernisation of our collective agreement. We advised IALPA and encouraged them to revisit that mandate.
