AER Lingus has cancelled 124 flights across pilots' first five days of work-to-rule strike action from next week. The airline said 20,000 punters will be impacted with 24 flights per day cancelled between Wednesday June 26 and Sunday June 30. But IALPA members at Aer Lingus confirmed they'll engage in an eight-hour strike from 5am to 1pm on Saturday June 29.
Aer Lingus this afternoon confirmed cancelled routes, with flights in and out of Ireland, the UK, Europe and the States all impacted. Airline chiefs said the impact was at the lower end of the 10 to 20 per cent cancellation rate planned. But they warned: "However, given the form of the industrial action, there may be additional cancellations which happen close to the time of travel.
" Confirming the new eight-hour strike move, IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said: "We have been forced to escalate this dispute following a campaign of antagonism by Aer Lingus management directed toward our members. "The scale of next week’s anticipated flight cancellations, as described by Aer Lingus, illustrates the extent to which the company relies on the flexibility and goodwill of pilots. "We go above and beyond to provide a good service to our customers.
"The company has recently enjoyed a 400 per cent increase in profits, which demonstrates how much the company benefits directly from that flexibility and goodwill. "As always, IALPA remains open to talking with Aer Lingus in direct negotiations to settle this dispute in a way that.
