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BRITS will see holiday plans thrown into chaos next week as more than 100 flights to and from the UK are cancelled amid a staff strike. Union bosses are demanding a whopping 24% pay rise for their members to return to work just as the peak travel season kicks into gear. The Irish Air Line Pilot's Association (Ialpa) has announced a fresh wave of industrial action, which will heavily impact routes across the Irish Sea.

Major airline Aer Lingus has cancelled 122 flights between July 3 and July 7 in response. It had already cancelled the same number over the next seven days as the dispute rages on. The cancellations will mainly affect routes between Dublin Airport and the UK, it is understood.



Talks between Aer Lingus and Ialpa broke down last week after an agreement could not be reached on a pay settlement. The union is insisting its demand for a 24% bump is reasonable as it will raise pilots' pay in line with inflation . Officials also point to Aer Lingus reporting a "400% increase in profit" as the basis for their case.

On the other hand, the company is adamant that it can only offer a raise of 12.25%, with anything above that found through savings from changing working conditions. Chief corporate office Donal Moriarty said that the firm had "engaged constructively" with the unions .

He 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 ad.

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