FRUSTRATED passengers are facing more flight cancellations after talks between feuding Aer Lingus pilots and management broke down. Airline bosses met pilot union reps today in a bid to ground the standoff which will see pilots go on strike for eight hours on Saturday. Some 270 flights have been cancelled so far with concerns over future flights after pilots launched industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Hopes had risen that a resolution could be struck after talks were held between pilots’ union IALPA and Aer Lingus management at a Dublin airport hotel today, with a team of three on each side. But frantic passengers are facing more turbulence after the talks collapsed amid another bitter war of words, with IALPA now considering escalating industrial action. IALPA president Mark Tighe blasted Aer Lingus for refusing to budge on its 12.
25 per cent pay increase offer. Tighe declared: “At this point, talks have broken down. “We are allowed a smaller group - both sides did - to meet to see if they could come to some sort (of agreement).
“IALPA officially moved from its inflationary figure of 23.88 per cent. The company has not moved from its statement that anything more than 12.
25 per cent would have to be funded by pilots’ own payments through work practice.” But defiant Aer Lingus Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Donal Moriarty hit back at the union and maintained that the airline “engaged constructively” in discussions. He said: “We tried to discuss items t.