Aer Lingus passengers urged to 'stay calm' despite no agreement to avert pilot strike action
Talks ended on Thursday night over a pay claim by Aer Lingus pilots with no agreement reached with a possibility of strike action remaining
Irish holidaymakers have been advised to “stay calm” as the chances of an Aer Lingus pilots’ strike increased on Thursday after pay talks ended without a resolution.
No further discussions are currently scheduled with talks ending between the pilots union IALPA and Aer Lingus management on Thursday night.
It raises the prospect of strike action in the coming weeks that would impact tens of thousands of Aer Lingus passengers, including holidaymakers.
It is understood there remains a significant gulf between the two sides in terms of their demands.
Aer Lingus has asked the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) to give it at least 15 days’ notice of any action so to minimise disruption to passengers.
“Aer Lingus met with Ialpa again today for direct discussions with a view to reaching agreement on pilot pay,” said a spokesperson for Aer Lingus yesterday evening. “No meaningful progress was made, with Ialpa continuing to demand an unsustainable level of increase in pilot pay (up to 23.8pc) that was not supported by any increases in productivity or flexibility.”
Travel journalist Eoghan Corry said there are around 40,000 Aer Lingus passengers daily in Ireland through July and August.
"My instinct is there will not be a strike but I think we are going to have a lot of scare and sabre rattling and we will probably go right to the wire before they reach an agreement on this," he told Virgin News.
Irish Travel Agents Association president Angela Walsh said: "The ITAA is urging Aer Lingus and unions to reach a resolution and avoid any disruptive strike action.
"Any pilot strike over the summer months will cause serious impact for both holidaymakers and corporate travellers, as we are in the busiest travel period of the year, with knock on effects on accommodation reservations and connecting travel.
"While we are always happy to minimise all disruption for our customers, we urge the airline and greater travel industry to put the consumer first in an effort to avoid such disruption to travel plans," Ms Walsh said.
Clare Dunne, CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) urged people to "stay calm".